A Perfect Murder
by WanderingLO
Summary: The first couple of chapters are Mike & Connie specific & revolve around how a relationship might have came to pass. Set during the events of Season 20, midway through a new murder case kicks in while they explore their relationship. All characters are owned by Dick Wolf, I just love them. Oh and I like to write about food too, blame G.R.R Martin. Please review, thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**I love Law &amp; Order and loved Connie &amp; Mike, so as I was rewatching Law &amp; Order they seemed like they were really close in Season 20 to me, so I imagined little vignettes after certain of their scenes. I decided to write my first fan fiction based on my little scenes because in my head they got together during Season 20 and that's how I'd like to remember them, haha. Fleshed out the story with a case too, it's mainly a Mike and Connie romance though. Nothing is mine, all belongs to Dick Wolf, I just love these characters.**

**Set right After Brilliant Disguise**

Feb 21

Mike sighed as he gazed across the table at Connie, as she quizzed the waitress about the menu. Why did he do this to himself? The brunch invitation had been innocent enough, they had spent the last several months answering appeals for Marcus Woll's cases, (how he loathed that name), working day and night, weekends and Connie had been such a trooper. They would finish the last appeal response today, so Mike had thought he'd reward her with a really nice meal for once, instead of the usual food cart or takeout Chinese. So last night after they'd packed up, with knowledge they only had one to go (and a fairly easy one at that), when she said they should celebrate, he'd suggested a nice brunch at a restaurant of her choosing before they went into the office Sunday morning. Even though Sarabeth's was closer to his apartment on the Upper Westside, she'd heard really good things about their brunch and had been eager to try it, so he'd made a reservation for an early brunch.

While they waited in the very busy restaurant for the waitress to take their order, the conversation had started off very run of the mill and very safe 'What did you plan on doing with all your spare time now that you only have to work your normal job, can't wait until spring', etc. And then the topic had turned to their latest case, Alex Conway, a graduate student/psychopath who robbed escorts to cover his gambling habit, but had recently graduated to murder. They had received a guilty verdict in the case, but not before Mike had used Connie as bait to Conway, Mike saying his people, i.e. Connie, were more obedient than Conway's fiancée. He knew that Conway's ego would have to respond. He'd had to apologize to Connie for not only bringing up that instance about using her attractiveness to sway the jury but also coloring it to make it seem even worse that it was. She understood he was going out on that ledge to get Conway just as he'd told Jack he would. He knew she wasn't thrilled by his speech, her sarcastic "I'm glad the right psychopath won" relayed that, but she'd understood and had wanted to put away Conway as much as he did. But what Connie had called him on this morning, after their initial pleasant conversation, was his statement that "love's a bitch" after Conway's fiancée had declared her undying love to Conway before being dragged off.

With a raise of her eyebrow "So love's a bitch, huh? Is that how you really feel about love, Mike?"

His first thought was "danger, danger" second was to say "maybe he hadn't meet the right person yet" but that wasn't true, he had meet the right person and she was sitting across from him. But he couldn't say That! Not only was it inappropriate since Connie worked for him, but more importantly he didn't know how she felt about him and he didn't want to take a chance and embarrass himself or Connie nor chance ruining their friendship, which he treasured. Connie arched her brow at him while she waited for his response. Well here goes he thought "I know I'm not easiest person ever, but I guess I haven't been in the right relationships yet" he said quietly and looked up and met her gaze.

Connie was about to say something when the waitress finally reappeared, ready for their order.

"Saved" thought Mike…

As Connie asked the waitress about the menu, her indecisiveness over the lemon ricotta pancakes, chorizo frittata or almond crusted French toast to be settled by choosing the waitresses favorite, the French toast, her mind was spinning, she wanted to kick herself, how could she have asked Mike that question about love. She couldn't even blame it on having a mimosa with brunch! Since they were going into the office after brunch, she'd passed on the mimosa, even though Mike had said go ahead, one won't kill you. She was definitely having second thoughts about that mimosa now…. What had possessed her to ask that? You know what possessed you, your little crush on a certain Mike Cutter reared its little head. Sigh….

She looked up at Mike as she heard him say "I'll have the Chorizo Frittata, with a side of Lemon Ricotta pancakes and bacon, I'll share, as long as I get to try your French toast, deal?" He'd remembered she had once told him how she enjoyed going out to brunch with some girlfriends and sharing a bunch of different dishes.

"Deal" chirped Connie, giving Mike a big smile in return.

Connie decided to steer the conversation away from the landmine topic they'd been broaching before the waitress had so opportunely interrupted. Connie brought up a question she had on the Landers appeal, their one remaining Woll appeal, this was the third response to Landers attorney and should be their last. Connie laid out her thoughts on how they should position their response; Mike agreed with her approach, added a few additional citations and then their food arrived. It was all so very delicious, but Connie was saddened that she didn't even make a dent in her French toast, especially after sampling Mike's frittata and pancake with a slice of bacon. All so very heavenly!

It was a chilly February day as they walked to Mike's car, that's why they were walking so close together, at least that's what she told herself. (Mike did radiate heat, stop thinking that way Connie). The drive from the Upper Westside to Hogan's Place was congested for a Sunday morning, that didn't help the carbo coma Connie felt coming on after that brunch; she was definitely drowsy and the motion of the car slowly cruising along didn't help.

She vaguely heard Mike saying "Connie, we're here" and then his hand on her arm gently shaking her.

She bolted upright and for some reason her hand grabbed onto his hand. His hand was so warm, she thought as she turned towards him, his blue eyes staring at her hand gripping his and then he turned those blue eyes upwards to her eyes. She held his gaze for a few seconds before realizing she was still holding onto his hand.

She let go, as did he, as she mumbled "sorry, I fell asleep"

Mike looked at her with his half smile "Well we've been hitting it pretty hard these last couple of months, no wonder you are tired" "Maybe you should take some time off once we're done today-to recharge" "

"What about you Mike? Are you taking time off, you've been working just as hard?"

He smiled at her, thinking, if you take time off, it might be good for me to take time off too, its no fun, when you aren't around. But then again, what might people say if they were both on vacation at the same time? Since the Marcus Woll trial, he knew his interactions with Connie were being scrutinized. so he did try and be mindful of that in all public interactions with Connie. But 90% of his current caseload was with Connie, and combined with the Woll appeals, there was no getting around it; they were pretty much joined at the hip. Not that Jack cared, Jack knew his best team was Connie and Mike, the best chance to get a conviction in a difficult case or a favorable deal for the state of New York. Jack might want to ring his neck every now and again, but at the end of the day, Jack knew Mike would fight for justice, same as Jack and usually get it. At his desk, he picked up his baseball and idly tossed it into his mitt, Mike remembered how mortified he'd felt after telling Jack what Woll had said about his relationship with Connie. And how even more mortified he felt after rambling on about not having relationships with people he worked with. He knew Jack saw right through him, it wasn't just people he worked with, it was Connie he was talking about and he also knew if Connie would have him, he'd throw that rule out faster than you could say jump. Mike mused, after the Woll case closed had Jack been subtly giving his blessing for them to have a relationship, with his "you'll have to work together day &amp; night to get through the Woll appeals, is that going to be a problem?" Or even enabling it? Mike wondered about that too sometimes.

One thing that Mike had realized early on in their working relationship, Connie had a calming effect on him. It was as much the fact that they worked so well together, as it was the fact she was on top of everything, he knew he could rely on her 110%. He could always be sure that she'd cite the right case law, file the right motion, make the best argument in court, follow up with a witness, relay the most pertinent information to him, not inundate him with information that he didn't need and would always be willing put in the hours necessary to get the job done right. She was whip smart, wasn't afraid to voice her opinion and could back that opinion up with impeccable research. They had butted heads a bit at first, he could be mercurial as well as a perfectionist but once he realized how adept and skillful Connie was, he let her run with their cases, often setting up their strategy, adjusting easily based on his input/direction and giving him concise updates of all cases when needed. She had seemed to really enjoy the autonomy he gave her, the confidence he had in her and the fact that he viewed her as his partner on their cases, not an assistant. She was also drop dead gorgeous, intuitive, kind and compassionate, she really was the total package as that juror had said a couple of years ago. He truly realized how much he enjoyed working with Connie when they had the disagreement about that abortion doctor's murder and Connie had asked to be reassigned. Jack had rejected that request on the grounds it would be difficult to find someone to work with him and would cause too many other shifts. Mike's ego hadn't allowed him to say, no he didn't want Connie to transfer, but upon reflection, he had been a little hurt that she had gone to Jack without telling him first (his own fault) but also dismayed at the thought of no longer working with Connie. He reflected on Jack's words, the difficulty in finding someone eager to work with him, well that was true, on the few cases that he didn't work with Connie, it was like pulling teeth, with kitchen tongs. And if he was being honest, the folks working for him who weren't Connie probably felt equally distressed by him. The simple fact was, they were held up against Connie and were always found lacking, either in dedication, in ability, in attention to detail or in something else that would annoy him. He was sure he exhibited such annoyance, probably loudly. He was happy they had continued to work together. They seemed to have a tacit agreement to just move on, move past that disagreement and were back to being a unified team.

He halted tossing the ball as Connie came into his office to go over her drafts for the Lander's appeal. As he read her briefs, she sat at the table in his office and caught up on some other case files. As she read, she unconsciously bit her lip and Mike couldn't tear his eyes away, sigh, she was going to catch him staring at her, but he still couldn't tear his eyes away. This crush that he had developed on Connie, it had ceased to be something he could control and that drove him as crazy as Connie did,(without her even knowing she did) He was almost forty, not some school boy, get it together Mike.

Connie suddenly looked up and met his gaze, a wry smile crossed her face and her eyebrow arched up, "is everything in order? Any changes?"

"Cite People vs Forester here as well, otherwise I think this should do" He handed her the brief back, smiled back at her and turned towards his laptop, what else could he do.

Connie knew she should be upset that she'd caught Mike staring at her, (again) but she wasn't. If she was being honest she'd admit that it thrilled her, since she wasn't being honest, she admitted it didn't bother her at all. If she were being honest she'd admit that she enjoyed working long hours with Mr. Michael Cutter way too much, that spending even more time with him these last few months had solidified her little crush on him, ok well she would admit that, it was harmless crush and understandable given the amount of time they spent together, how accomplished he is. Yes, they worked together, yes she worked for him, but he was an intelligent, successful, polished, dynamic, good-looking man, those were the facts, she could admit it. Yes there were plenty of instances when she wanted to strangle him over the last three years, but she also the appreciated the fact that he was a great boss, he valued her opinion, her abilities, he allowed her to take the lead on many of their case strategies and never felt the need to micromanage her. When he did have a differing opinion on how to handle a case, he'd always listen to her views and would discuss it with her why they should handle it his way and usually they'd come to some middle ground; she respected the fact he never had to have the final word on everything. Of course there were those cases where Mike would become intractable, but even in those cases, he'd listen to her and choose to forge ahead on some quixotic mission anyway.

They'd grown close over the 3 years; she could truly say she thought of him as not only her boss and co-worker but also as a good friend. They had shared many meals and drinks over the years to commiserate, to celebrate and for just plain camaraderie. They were a team.


	2. Chapter 2

**Set during Innocence**

**Mar 5**

Connie looked at Mike, he was well on his way to being drunk, she couldn't blame him, to be dragged in front of Judge Braden, to have his credentials &amp; fitness as an attorney called into question, it was a nightmare. She tried to console him, reminding him that things you do in your early twenties they don't define you, he wasn't the only one to have something come back and haunt them. She knew that better than anyone, she'd just had a four month reminder of Marcus Woll, her most unfortunate 20's mistake ever; between the embarrassment of having Mike ask her about having a relationship with Woll, discuss with Mike how to handle the fact she'd had that relationship with Woll over trial prep, and testify in open court about that brief sexual relationship, it was just a reminder of what a colossal mistake that had been. Not only was Mike her boss, he was also her friend and mentor, she desired his respect and to think that respect may have lessened due to the Woll matter, it had been a painful period. They seemed to have come out of it with no ill effects, they just moved on and never spoke of that aspect of the Woll matter again, much to her relief. Not that Woll had been entirely silent with the 100 plus appeals they had to deal with, but it had almost made them a stronger team, working side by side for days, weeks, months on end to clear those along with their current cases. Now Mike worried that Jack would fire him, saying "I would fire me" she tried to tell him he was being paranoid, but there was a part of her that worried Jack might do just that.

Mike had downed several more drinks and Connie knew it was time for them to leave, she worried about him getting home safely, he was beyond his limit by several. She thought about just putting him in a cab, but she feared he wouldn't make it into his apartment. 'Mike Cutter you are going to owe me one' she muttered as she walked him out and hailed a cab. She rode with him to his apartment, all the while he mumbled to himself and protested that he was fine. She exited the cab first, asking the cabbie to wait for her, bracing herself in case Mike fell out of the cab, which he promptly did, falling against her, luckily, she was braced against the car, so neither of them went down. Luckily, he was able to right himself and more or less walk with her right next to him and was able to make into his building, the doorman, saw his difficulties and helped Connie get Mike to his apartment. He deposited Mike on his couch and Connie set his alarm on his Blackberry and said sleep tight. Mike drunkenly smiled at her and patted her cheek as a good night. She smiled despite herself and hopped into the waiting cab and made her way back home, way past her bedtime, falling asleep with visions of how Mike Cutter was going to pay her back.

She woke the next morning to a text from Mike sent at an ungodly hour, apologizing for his behavior and thanking her for getting him home. Ending with he'd never drink again and haha.

She laughed at that, he rarely joked in texts. "No worries, see you in the morning at the office" she texted back, along with a text smile.

March 6

Mike came into the office that day looking none the worse for wear, you'd never know he had been on a major bender the night before. Mike couldn't look Connie in the eyes, after calling her into his office, quietly saying "Thanks again for looking after me yesterday, I'm embarrassed how I behaved" looking her in the eyes, pleadingly (or was that wishful thinking), "I apologize if I did or said anything inappropriate, I don't remember much, it's a bit hazy."

Connie's eyes twinkled, if she wanted to torture him, now would be the time she thought, "Mike, you were a complete gentleman as always, nothing to apologize for. We're good" said with her usual cheerful smile, with that Mike let out the breath he felt he'd been holding since he woke up that morning.

He'd been worried that he'd done or said something that would have messed up what little he had with Connie, their work relationship or their friendship. He acknowledged to himself he'd be devastated if he lost those. It was bad enough that they may lose the work relationship if Jack fired him he thought sourly.

March 8

After meeting with Jack, Mike stormed out of his office and passed Connie's desk on the way towards the elevators, the fire in his eyes that said don't talk to me. She had been watching that meeting, grabbed her coat and jumped up to follow Mike, reaching the elevators just before the elevator doors closed. Mike flicked a glance at her yet said nothing, his lips set in an angry line, his eyes now fixed on the elevator doors, willing them to open or melt if the intense stare was any indication. She noticed the three other DA clerks in the elevator, all trying to shrink into the corners, yet also attentively listening and stealing looks at Mike and her, Connie was sure this would feed the gossip mills for a while, sigh. Finally the door chimed releasing them from the tension, Mike was first out, striding purposefully towards the coffee cart, Connie caught up with him at the cart, hearing him place their familiar order, black for him, black with cream, one sugar for her. He wordlessly handed her a coffee and set off towards the benches, as she again followed him.

He sat down, looking at his coffee cup "Jack wants us to make Stuber an offer of Man 1,"

Yikes Mike will never go for that, thought Connie "What did you say?"

"Well, when I said no Stuber doesn't deserve a lighter sentence, he basically said if I have any hope of staying on, I have to make this go away... " Mike continued, "He didn't want the chance of Stuber getting off at another trial," with that, all the anger seemed to leave him. "Call Stuber's attorneys and set up a conference."

Connie, trying to make him see it wasn't solely his fault "Mike the cops did some things wrong too in the arrest, made it a lot less cut and dry,"

He looked up at her and said "thanks" with his small half smile. Good old Connie, she always had his back, he thought to himself.

As they left the prison, Connie worriedly watched Mike, she had seen Mike angry before, but it seemed every fiber of his body was tense and taut with rage. She needed a ride back to the office, she had taken a cab from court to Riker's, she hoped he didn't mind. She knew he was angry about having to make a deal with Stuber, about Emily Ryan's betrayal, about his situation with the bar, with Jack and probably that comment directed at her by Stuber. Mike knew she was a big girl and she could take care of herself, she never let ignorant comments from bigoted people bother her, but Mike was already so vexed by Stuber that it was enough to send him over the edge. She was glad that Stuber had taken the deal and hadn't pushed Mike because as stubborn as he was, Mike would have done exactly as he'd said, law license be damned. And then what? She couldn't imagine the DA's office without Mike and then it really hit her, she couldn't imagine her life without Mike around, what she was feeling went far beyond just missing a great boss and great working relationship. She expected at some point either of them would be promoted and the Cutter and Rubirosa team would be broken up, but the thought of not having Mike in her life was disturbing. (Why was that? Her brain fired at her, 'When was the last time you went on a real date'; well it had been years, and 'why was that?', because she had a very real crush on a certain blue eyed gentleman and if she dated someone else, Mike might find someone else? Why would it matter to Mike if she went on a date, because you know he has a crush on you as well, they way he looks at you, his flirty comments, how close he would stands next to you, ugh Mike was still her boss, it just isn't meant to be… Why not? Why not indeed?) She made up her mind, it was time to do something about what she suspected they both felt.

Connie looked at Mike with a very determined look in her eyes "Mike we're going back to the office to draw up the paperwork, but then we're going out, dinner and drinks on me, no excuses, I'm not taking no for an answer."

He slowly turned towards her "I don't think that's a good idea, I've already embarrassed myself in front of you in a bar once this week."

"Well, that's what friends are for and we're going out, you have a free pass to embarrass away, though I don't think you'll be able to"

He gave her his half smile and replied back "Well if you insist"

As Connie drew up the documents, Mike reflected on how angry he'd gotten in that room, was it because of Emily Ryan and the fact that she had betrayed him, was it because Stuber will be getting out far sooner than he deserved to or was it because of the words Stuber had directed at Connie? He honestly wasn't sure and that last point scared him. Connie was his co-worker, his direct employee and she was tough as nails, she wasn't a damsel in distress who needed him to save her from some bigoted words. But its now time for honesty, he would do anything for Connie, he cared for her in a way that was clearly not appropriate and now she wanted to take him to dinner and drinks when his feelings were so raw, this was not a good idea Michael Cutter. A little voice in his head said, 'but maybe it was time to tell her".


	3. Chapter 3

_**Right after making the deal with Stuber during Innocence, the possibility of Mike being fired due to Emily Ryan's challenge to his license makes Connie and Mike come to a decision about each other**_

…

Connie 'Mike, the very real possibility that we might not be working together got me thinking about you not being in my life, and I don't care for that vision of the future. '

Connie thought about that statement, maybe that was too much at once. Maybe she should ease into the conversation. She had about 10 minutes before they reached the restaurant to craft a persuasive argument. She was an attorney, this should be easy, haha.

She was glad that he chosen a small Italian restaurant far away from the office that seemed to be free of any co-workers.

"Connie" "Mike" they both started at the same time. Mike "Please Connie, I have to tell you something before I lose my nerve" She smiled at him, her biggest smile and nodded go ahead to him.

"Connie, I want to thank you for the last couple of days, your support has been incredible. I don't know what I would have down without you, but it's made me consider a lot of things, what's important. I, I value you, I, I" (he stuttered, he was loosing his nerve)

"Mike, just say what you want to say, free pass remember" Connie looked Mike in the eyes

Mike returned her gaze "Connie, you know, you have to know what I feel about you, I feel things that I shouldn't feel about someone who works for me. I'm sorry, I know this is inappropriate but I just have to tell you, coming close to losing you, I just had to let you know. I've worked with you for three years and I've held my feelings in check, but I…" he faltered and looked down

Connie looked down at her hands "Mike- I had suspected, but I was never sure. I'm, I'm glad you told me, I, I (spit it out Connie, she thought to herself) was going to admit the same thing to you. I know having a relationship would be complicated, but I think it will be worth it. I'm willing to try if you are?" And she looked up at him, her head held high.

Mike wasn't sure what he was hearing he was so nervous, but he was pretty sure that Connie Rubirosa had just said yes, she wanted to give a relationship with him a shot. He was elated, this was all he ever wanted coming true. Now he had to be sure to not screw it up. He looked around, not seeing anyone familiar; he took her hand and held it, grinning at her. "I would"

They exchanged shy smiles and the thought going through each of their mind was "uh-oh, now what"

Their pasta came and they ate in silence, both contemplating the next move.

Mike was the first to speak "I think we should just take this slow, see where it goes, keep it away from the office entirely, there's no need to make it everyone's business."

She nodded, "I think that makes a lot of sense"

They finished their meal, both still contemplating the choice they had made, equal parts thrilling and stomach churning

Mike "How about tomorrow night for our first proper date"

"That sounds great" she smiled enthusiastically

"We should pick somewhere out of the way, where there isn't as much of a chance of running into someone from the office"

She mulled it over "How about you come over to my place and I cook you dinner, that way we don't have to worry about being out and running into anyone"

"I didn't know you cook, I think it sounds great if it isn't too much work. I'll bring the wine" he smiled

"Perfect, say seven"

"Deal"

When he got to Connie's building, there was a parking spot open right at the corner, so he pulled in to let her out.

Connie "You know since you found a spot, you should come up for a drink, we didn't have any with dinner. And I promised you dinner and drinks, so I owe you at least one drink"

Mike's mind was racing, get it together Mike, she said one drink "Sure"

He followed her in, her apartment was Manhattan standard, meaning small, but it was tastefully furnished and comfortable.

They chatted pleasantly about cooking to help her finalize her menu for tomorrow night, comparing her specialties vs. what he liked to eat.

Mike though it was probably a good time to leave, he'd had one drink, Connie had agreed to date him, the night had been perfect so far. She walked him to the door and looked into his eyes, they stood there for minute just staring at each other. He had the strongest desire to just touch her to make sure she was real, that this evening was real. He gently touched her cheek, he saw her eyes flare slightly, but she just smiled at him and continued to gaze into his eyes. They stood there for what seemed like hours just staring, until she licked her lips, his eyes becoming transfixed by her lips, he slowly lowered his lips to meet hers, a very tentative gentle kiss, chaste even, he felt her hands reach up and run her fingers through his hair. His tongue softly exploring her mouth, when she responded back, it was his undoing, he pushed her against the wall, her grip tightened on him, pulling him even closer, his lips finding her neck, eliciting sighs, his hands sliding the length of her arms and back up again, his body pressing her into the wall. 'this is probably too fast' shot through his mind, even while his body cried out for more. He stepped back, resting his forehead against hers, catching his breath.

"I should probably go, we don't want to move too fast" Mike said quietly

"Yeah, you're probably right" as she bit her lip

Her arms came around him in a hug, "Goodnight Mike, see you in the office tomorrow, I'll be in a little late, I want to pick up some groceries for tomorrow night"

"Are you sure it isn't too much trouble, cooking I mean"

"Not at all, I just don't have much food in my apartment since I eat at the office most nights" she laughed

They hugged once more and he left.

Once she closed her door, Connie leaned back against the wall and smiled to herself, pushing away all thoughts of Mike being her boss. That little voice in her head kept trying to pop up, Connie was determined to ignore it.

March 9

The next morning she came into his office and said good morning and dropped off a coffee for him as per their usual. He looked up and smiled "Good morning Connie" and that was it, no change in their office routine.

She sat down, happy that so far everything was as it was before. She wondered if she was beaming, she felt so happy. Mike had looked happy as well. They might have to tone that happy down a bit, people might notice she thought dryly.

She finished off the remaining paperwork on the Stuber case, she would be happy to put that one in the files and never see it again. She looked at the new case that had landed on her desk, Calvin Stokes had shot and killed four cops in a pizza place. All cases where cops were the victims were difficult and these cops were from the 2-7, the station they worked with the most. She didn't personally know the officers who were killed, but she was pretty sure she had bumped into the female officer, Rebecca Ramos, in the station. Connie sighed, she would work her hardest to get them justice.

The afternoon passed fairly quickly, and she left around 6:00 to start dinner. She was anxious, but excited.

"Hi Connie, I'm downstairs"

"Come on up, my apt is 414" She opened the door and beamed at the bouquet of flowers he handed her, at the same time he leaned over to give her a very chaste kiss on her check. She found a vase and arranged the flowers, and she raised an eyebrow at the two bottles of wine he brought, one red and one white.

"I wasn't sure what you were cooking, so I thought I'd hedge my bets" he smiled "I can I give you a hand with anything, I'm not a cook, but I can take direction"

"You can take direction? Can I get that in writing?" Connie laughed

"Funny Rubirosa, direction in the kitchen"

"Yes, can you cut these tomatoes in half, thanks, you aren't going to cut your fingers off are you?"

"I can manage to cut a few tomatoes, don't you worry about me"

Connie winked at him. "Ok, because we don't want to have to go to the emergency room"

While he busied himself with tomatoes, Connie added some chopped shallots to a bowl and some balsamic vinegar and whisked in some garlic olive oil. Next she sautéed some thin seasoned chicken breasts in garlic olive oil and added some fettuccine noodles to the boiling water on her stove, and as the noodles boiled, she grated parmesan into her alfredo sauce, finally adding the noodles she had Mike drain for her. While that cooled slightly, she added the dressing to her salad and plated everything.

"I'll pour the wine, I think white would work better, where are your glasses" opening the door she pointed to.

Mike took a bite of the salad and was impressed "this dressing, its delicious" he moved onto the chicken fettuccine alfredo, "this is amazing!" "You are a women of _many _talents" he added in his low flirty voice

Connie arched her eyebrow "I have countless hidden talents" matching his flirty tone

She felt her cheeks heating, she wasn't used to being so overtly forward, this just wasn't like her. And neither was dating her boss, Marcus Woll hadn't been dating, he'd pursued and she hadn't known better. She hadn't really thought of him as her boss, she'd worked with so many attorney's those first couple of months. But thinking of him would put her in a bad mood, so she opted to shut that line of thinking down and think about who she was with now.

Their conversation over dinner was very casual, letting them get to know each other a little better, they started on the topic of movies. Because they didn't have to worry about others observing them, things felt more natural and the laughs were plentiful. She hadn't seen Mike so at ease. Mike was generally very guarded and she didn't know much about his family or much personal information about him at all come to think of it, really just that he loved baseball; most of their lunches and dinners were usually spent discussing cases. And when their discussions did turn personal, Mike usually asked questions about her family and deflected any of her questions back to her. From the Emily Ryan incident, she knew when he was at undergrad, he didn't go home for the holidays and since they'd started working together, she knew he had stayed in the city during the holidays. She thought that might be a tough subject, so for their first date, she thought she'd stick to safer subjects.

Smiling she asked him, "So are you ready for baseball season to begin?"

"Didn't know you were a baseball fan"

"Well I know when the season is, Springtime. I actually don't mind baseball, I've been to a few games before, the hot dogs are great" she smiled

"Really?" Mike was surprised at that "Would you go to a game with me?"

"Will you buy me a baseball hat"

"They're called baseball caps and yes, I'll buy you one, as long as it doesn't say Met's on it"

"I'm just kidding, I can buy my own cap, but you can buy me a hot dog"

She started to pick up the dishes off the table, and Mike helped her take the rest to the kitchen and started washing them. She objected, but Mike said "You cooked for me, the least I can do is wash a few dishes" They worked side by side making short work of the dishes, then they took the wine bottle and settled into the living room to continue the conversation.

Mike "So do you cook every night when we don't work late?"

Connie laughed, "Hardly, though I wouldn't mind cooking more, I feel healthier when I do, do you cook?"

Mike "A little bit, grilled cheese, spaghetti maybe something on a grill, if I can find one, but it's usually takeout for me"

Connie grinning "I wouldn't mind if our dates consisted of us cooking together instead of eating out all the time, it worked out pretty well tonight I'd say. And its more relaxing to not have to watch the door"

Mike, happy he was getting a second date, smiled "I think that's a great idea, how about tomorrow night, my place"

Connie was happy that the night was going so well, now she wanted to know a little more about Mike Cutter, pinning Mike with her gaze, "That sounds great, so what does Mike Cutter like to do in his spare time"

Mike considered for a moment, "Well, sports is kind of my thing, baseball mainly but I'll watch basketball or football too. But the last say five years I've really put my everything into work, my years as bureau chief of narcotics didn't lend itself to regular hours and homicide isn't a 9-5 job as you well know" adding a bit sadly " "so there hasn't been much else" then brightening up significantly "But working with you these last three years has been a highlight for me, you challenge me in a good way"

Connie feeling happy and proud to hear him say that, yet also a bit embarrassed "Mike, I've really enjoyed working with you as well, I felt I've learned so much, plus its just easy working with you, you make me feel valuable to the cases, not just your gofer"

Mike laughed "Connie Rubirosa, you could never be anyone's gofer!" more seriously "Connie, I, I mean we, we have to get this right, this thing between us, you're very important to me, not just a brilliant co-worker, but as one of the only people whom I respect enough to listen to, who's willing to call me on it when I'm about to go over the final line." he grimaced, "But maybe even more importantly, you're also one of my closest friends, I don't have that many and I don't want to screw this up, I'll do everything to make this work" His eyes leveled with hers, searching, imploring her to understand.

Connie, realizing how important this conversation had turned, bit her lip while she searched for the right thing to say, she knew Mike wasn't an open person, to say she was that important to him is a very intimate disclosure and it thrilled her to no end, "Mike, we are going to get this right, I won't have it any other way. I won't be scared off and I'm determined to make this work on all levels, personal and professional. I care about you Mike, in a lot of ways."

Mike knew if Connie was determined about something, out of her way, he smiled at her and had the overwhelming desire to touch her, his hand moved of its own volition, and cupped Connie's cheek. Her skin was so soft, her eyes never wavered, staring straight back into his, her lips curling into a smile. Her hand came up and covered his, holding his hand into place. His eyes went to her lips, which was his undoing, he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, when she responded, their kisses became more intense, his body pinning her against the couch, his hands running up and down her back.

Connie's hands wrapped around his back, gripping his arms, marveling a little at the unexpected muscles, her hands finding his hair, embracing him, and pulling him closer to her. She had a fleeting thought of just how far they would go, should go, they were adults, would it matter if they went there faster rather than slower? Considering how long they'd been together, even if it wasn't as a couple, was it really that fast? Then Mike's lips went to her neck and all rational thought left her momentarily.

As his hands roamed over her body, Mike deliberated with himself, this was moving too fast, he should slow this down. 'Why?' You care about each other, it feels so incredible, she feels so incredible, get ahold of yourself Mike, you aren't some randy teenager. He pulled away, resting his head on her shoulder.

She had a decision to make, let him stop or make the leap, they were together now, it wasn't a leap. She pulled him back to her, she heard him say "Are you sure" she kissed him in response, a deep soul searching kiss.

If Connie's sure about this then I am too thought Mike, before rational thought left him and only his desire, their desire, was there guiding him. His hands went under her shirt, massaging her soft skin, now red hot responding to his touch, he felt her unbutton his shirt and roll it off his shoulders, her hands gripping his back, pulling him closer. Connie pushed up into a sitting position, all the while returning his impassioned kisses; then standing up, she held her hand out to him, he stood and took her hand, following her to her bedroom, his hands never leaving her.


	4. Chapter 4

**The day after**

March 10

She woke up to an alarm going off, one that didn't sound like her alarm, the darkness outside visible through the curtains, she felt someone's hands stroking her back lightly, her confusion only momentary, oh Mike is here, last night you decided to make that leap Connie. She smiled thinking about last night, banishing all thoughts of 'you slept with your boss' from her head. She turned over to face him, holding his arm in place. Mike's eye's lit up and he smiled at her, "Good morning"

"Morning, sleep well?" returning his smile

"Best I've ever slept" he grinned "you?"

"A pretty restful sleep, I must say" grinning back at him

"So…" Mike started and if puzzled by what to say next, he placed his hand on her cheek and placed a light kiss on her lips "what next?"

She knew Mike, he was worried about her, she had to show him there was nothing to worry about, she had chosen to go forward last night and she didn't regret her choice, not at all. "What's next, I'd say is a shower and breakfast, I have eggs and toast, maybe even some jam" She saw the relief in his eyes, soon followed by something else.

"Two meals by your own hand, I'm a lucky guy. Shower, hmm, can I join you for that shower" he said, his eyes dancing

"Only if you behave yourself, we have to get ready for work" she grinned back at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Do I really have to behave myself?" he pursed his lips

"I would certainly hope not" she laughed and kissed his lips before jumping out of bed

xxxxxxxx

Connie sat at her kitchen table, sipping her coffee, it was still too early to go into the office, Mike had just left to head home and change clothes before heading to the office. She reflected on what they had done last night, the little voice in her head saying "you slept with your boss, you are 'that girl' again". The circumstances were totally different, with Marcus, she had been twenty-four and at her first corporate job, because she worked with so many ADA's she hadn't considered him her boss exactly, just another colleague. When he had pursued, she had felt flattered, he was handsome, authoritative and well why not, they were both single. Too late she figured out he was narcissistic as well as an arrogant ass, figuring out too late that the relationship would be considered inappropriate. It hadn't mattered when he left the DA's office, no one had known, that was until last year when the whole sordid affair came to light when we discovered Woll wasn't just an ass, but a murderer as well. It still pained her when she thought of Mike's face when he told her that Marcus had thrown that long ago relationship at Mike.

This relationship with Mike was totally different, where that relationship was about power, Marcus had felt empowered over her, her relationship with Mike was based on mutual respect, admiration and depth of feelings. They genuinely cared for each other, that can't be wrong. They would perform their jobs to the best of their ability; this relationship would have no effect on their job performance whatsoever. That was the bottom line, she wouldn't feel bad about being with Mike. She smiled to herself, sometimes it pays to be an attorney who can craft a well thought out argument. Now she needed to prepare an overnight bag for her date tonight with Mike, just in case she ended up staying at his place, she liked to be prepared for all outcomes.

Xxxxx

Mike thought about last night and all he could do was smile, Connie Rubirosa, not only cared about him, but wanted to be in a relationship with him. He remembered her laugh at the door as he asked if he was dreaming and was about to wake up, followed by a shy, but sweet kiss and hug. But doubts reared their ugly head, what had he done to deserve her, he was surly, aggressive, unrelenting, could sometimes seem unfeeling, he needed to change to be the man she deserved, be kinder, be better. Michael Cutter who are you kidding, you can't be someone you're not. You'll surely screw that up, plus Connie knows exactly who she decided to become involved with, she's one of the smartest individuals you know, she must see and like something.

He had broken one of his cardinal rules, not sleeping with his coworkers, but it had been mutual, she had been the one to make all the choices so far, to pursue the relationship, to spend the night together. They both admitted to having strong feelings and a desire to be together, he couldn't feel bad about being with Connie. . He couldn't change who he was, but he could be sure to always treat Connie as the special individual she was. That was the only promise he could make and what she deserved, hopefully Mike Cutter didn't do anything to screw this up.

That settled in his mind, he was grinning like a fool again. Cut it out Mike, you know your reputation in the office, if you keep up this smiling, everyone will know your secret. That soured his thoughts, only slightly, very slightly, as he grinned again.

Xxxxxxxx

**The perfect murder**

March 13 Scene Sam Heath's brownstone, Sam Heath found shot downstairs in the kitchen, Margarite Heath, shot in bed

Beat cop "Housekeeper found them in the morning when she came to work"

Richard Lira comes running up goes around the police line, followed by a beat cop he's yelling "Sam", gets stopped by detectives

Bernard "Tell us what you know"

Robert Lira, distraught "Sam didn't come to work, I'm the assistant manager at his store, he didn't answer his phone, that's not like him, so I called his son, his daughter, they didn't know anything, they tried too, no answer. So I came over here and you guys are here, what happened," seeing a body being wheeled out "who would do this?"

Lupo very direct, "Do you know anyone who would be interested in hurting Sam or Mrs Heath?"

Lira "No, no one.

Bernard "Any family issues?"

Lira "No, his family loved him."

Lupo "Any business disputes, customer/vendor issues"

Lira "No, well yes, there was a supplier who Sam had cutoff because Sam found out he was selling us refurbed electronics as brand new. We were one of his biggest customers, he came in yelling at Sam that he couldn't cut him off, it would ruin him. Sam said you cheat me, you're cheating my customers, and I can't have that. He yelled some more and got aggressive and I helped him outside."

Lupo "Help him outside, as in you threw him out"

Lira "Kind of yeah, he got rude to Sam, I can't have that"

Bernard "What's this guys name,

Lira "Thomas Kiernan, Thomason Electronics"

Lupo "Would he know where Sam lived?"

Lira "yeah, he'd know where Sam lived because Sam invited him and all his big suppliers to his house for dinner once a year. That was another reason Sam was so mad, he'd treated him like family, all these years."

Tech "Hey detectives, we have one hand print"

Bernard "great, run it through the system"

Xxxxxxxx

Thomas Kiernan, of Thomason Electronics

"You're kidding right?" Thomas Kiernan

"Do I look like I'm kidding" Bernard grunted out

"Yes, I was mad at Sam, but I didn't kill him and his wife. I was at my girlfriend's house, she can tell you.

"We stopped at your house and spoke to your wife, she says she hasn't seen you since the day before yesterday, you were on a business trip, not returning until the weekend" said Lupo

Kiernan "I said I was at my girlfriends house."

Bernard "Her name please"

Xxxxxxxxx

Lupo "Mr. Heath, we're very sorry for your loss, can you think of anyone who might have anything against your father or mother?"

Sam Heath Jr distraught "No, everyone loved them, they were kind and generous to everyone"

Lupo "We're sorry we have to ask this, where were you last night at the time of the murder, 3am"

Heath Jr "We were home together, we're night owls, Nicole gets home late, we were playing video games"

Nicole "It's terrible but we're kind of addicted to our phones you know"

Bernard "Were there any business disputes, says here your father was the sole shareholder of Heath &amp; Son's Electronics, who is the Son's part"

Heath Jr "It was started by my grandfather, it was a general store and my dad and his brother worked there, his brother was killed in a car crash 15 years ago and he wasn't married, no kids, my dad kept the name to honor his brother and father. It became an electronics store about 8 years ago. I wasn't too involved in the business, I'm a marketing executive"

Nicole Heath "Um what about Robert and your dad"

Lupo "Robert, as in Robert Lira, the assistant manager"

Heath Jr "Yeah, he's pretty close with my dad, was pretty close, I can't believe I have to say it in the past tense. My dad considered him an adopted son kinda, I had come by to have lunch with my dad, I go to the stockroom to find them and I thought I heard them arguing"

Lupo "Arguing, about what?"

Heath Jr "I'm not sure, I couldn't hear, something about a share of somethng. Regarding the business, you might want to speak with my sister, she was executor of their trust and estate" wiping a tear from his eye

Nicole upset "You know Robert has a temper sometimes"

Lupo and Bernard exchange glances

Xxxxxxx

Van Buren – Do we have Lira's prints in the system?

Bernard – No they aren't in the system. We could ask him nicely for his prints, just to rule out his prints.

Van Buren – Let's try that.

xxxxxxxx

Lupo "Mrs Nance, we're very sorry for your loss, can you tell us if there is anyone who might want to harm your father or mother"

Mary Heath Nance "I understand you spoke with my husband, it's unthinkable that anyone would harm my father or my mother, they were just the most kind, gentle, generous, people."

Bernard " We understand that you are the executor of the estate and their trusts, but you don't have an interest in the estate"

Mary Heath Nance "No, I asked my father to remove me as a beneficiary, my husband is a top real estate developer and I am a professor of genetics at NYU, I study genetics and behavior, you know nature vs nurture, my work has been published into two books, I don't want for money, didn't see the point is receiving more, two years ago I asked him to donate what he would have given to me. My father had recently made a change to his will, he added Robert Lira as a beneficiary, father looks at Robert as a surrogate son"

Lupo "When was this change made?"

Nance "My father requested it two weeks ago, it was finalized last week"

Bernard "Who was notified of the change, was Lira in on that change"

Nance "I don't know if my father had told him yet, he was worried about telling Robert, because Robert wasn't interested in money. My father had forced Robert to take a bonus, so that he could buy an apartment, he'd only take the exact amount he needed for the apartment, not a penny more. My father felt he owed Robert for revitalizing the business. Robert is an electronics wiz and saw that mobile phones and other electronics were going to explode, they swapped out some space in my father's general store, built up a business serving small businesses then consumers, and were there at the right time. I'm not exactly sure what Robert knew about the will, you might want to speak with Robert"

Lupo "Oh, we will"

Xxxxxxxx

March 14

Bernard "Just heard from the lab, they need to send the print that was found out to the Fed lab, for further analysis"

Lupo "why?"

Bernard "Don't know, that's all they said"

Xxxxxxx

**This chapter sets the case, the next chapter expands the case a little and gets back to Connie and Mike really starting to get to know one another and then in chapters 6 and 7, they find time amidst all their cases to plan a little fun getaway.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The first half of this chapter delves further into the murder with an interrogation by the detectives and Mike and Connie. The last half of the chapter delves into Mike and Connie getting deeper into their relationship during the case "Brazil". I thought the episode had a lot of looks from Connie to Mike and at the end after he was sadly reflecting on the case with Jack, when he leaves Jack's office, it looked like he was searching for Connie. Chapters 6 and 7 are my favorite chapters, with Connie and Mike getting out of the office and having some fun. **

**Set during Brazil, our murder cops find their suspect in the Heath murder.**

Bernard "So our boy Roberto "Robert" Lira has a sealed juvenile record.

Van Buren flipping through the file "Hmm, do we have that handprint back yet? "

Bernard "not yet, I'm on them"

Van Buren "What's taking so long? He's got a temper, was arguing with Mr. Heath, no alibi. Bring in Mr. Lira for a chat. And call up ADA Rubirosa to see if we can get that juvie record unsealed and a warrant for his apartment"

Xxxx

Connie perused the file on Roberto "Robert" Lira, he had been in trouble before, he had a sealed juvenile record, she made a note to try to unseal them to see if they showed a history of violence. Hmm, he had seemed to have keep his nose clean for the last 9 years, employed full time, all seemed to be in order. His employer, Samuel Heath, owner of Heath &amp; Son's Electronics, and his wife Mrs Margarite Heath were shot in their brownstone. Lupo &amp; Bernard interviewed the victims son, who said he heard Robert arguing with his dad the day before in the stock room of the Electronics store and daughter Mary said her dad had changed his will to give Robert a share of the company since he was so instrumental in the stores renaissance from a general store to one of the largest independent retailers of electronics in NYC. They had jumped on the mobile device wave at the start &amp; ridden the wave to the top.

Mike "Maybe Mr Lira decided he was owed a bigger share for all his hard work "

"or he decided to speed the inheritance along" said Connie as they observed Det Lupo conduct the interview through the observation glass.

Lupo – "So we have a witness who says they heard you and Sam arguing in the store room a couple of days before the murder, what was that argument about? "

Robert "we weren't arguing bout nothing, we were just having a friendly discussion about the Yankee's vs the Met's, Sam and I liked to kid around, we didn't argue, Sam was like a father to me, we joked around alot".

Mike drolly commented, "well those Are fighting words depending on which team you choose" Connie rolled her eyes.

Lupo "maybe you thought a "Father" should give you more of the business, giving you a token inheritance share, that wasn't fair, you did all the work, turned it around from the brink of bankruptcy, thanks to you, he was making all that money, it just wasn't fair, was it Robert"

Robert looks angry, voice raising "what are you talking about? Inheritance? I don't have no inheritance and there's no way I'd ever hurt him" Connie raised an eyebrow, as midway through that statement, Lira closed his eyes, took a breath and seemed to calm himself, delivering the last bit with considerable less heat, more pleading.

Bernard walks up report in hand "well I think this seals the deal, 12 point match of Mr Lira's finger prints to the bloody hand print that was found at the scene." Cutter &amp; Rubirosa simultaneously "Ok, arrest him" Mike shot a smirk at Connie, who grinned back.

Bernard walked into the room and said the familiar "Roberto Lira, you have the right to remain silent….."

Robert "I didn't kill no one, why would I kill Sam? You just want to put this on brown skinned dude"….

Xxxxxx

_Arraignment court_

_Case of Roberto Lira in the Murders of Sam and Margarite Heath_

Judge "How do you plead"

Lira "Not guilty"

Connie "We request remand, the defendant has no ties to the community"

Mr Garcia interrupting, "Your Honor, Mr Lira is the assistant manager of an electronics store and an upstanding member of society"

Connie "Your honor, the defendant is accused of killing the owner/manager of that electronics store"

Judge "Heath &amp; Sons, I bought my last computer there, excellent store, defendant is remanded"

Mr Garcia "We are protesting your motion to unseal my clients juvenile record and here's my motion to exclude the blood evidence, you have nothing else, no gun, no powder burns, no motive"

Connie "We'll see about that"

Xxxxxx

_**Set during "Brazil" at the Family Court, with Mike on the stand. I thought this was an interesting episode as it gave some backstory on Mike. I imagine Connie being very supportive during this time period. Also the theme of fatherly behavior, and the effect on their sons carries through my whole story.**_

March 15

Connie was outraged, this judge had to be an idiot to allow Shoemaker's attorney to question Mike on the stand about the attempted murder case, did she really think we prosecute attempted murder for no reason? And to allow those questions about Mike's childhood and his father's abandonment? As if that had any bearing on how the Manhattan DA's office tried cases, not to mention it was an invasion of Mike's privacy. She could tell Mike was two steps from flying off the handle and he would be well within his rights. She had no standing in the court otherwise she would have objected about ten times already.

Mike had had enough and appealed to the judge after another ridiculous question from Shoemaker's attorney. She could see the tension coiled up in his body as he left the stand.

"That was ridiculous Mike" she spit out

"Tell me about it" he grimaced

On the walk back to the office, she contemplated asking Mike if he wanted to talk about that testimony, but she opted for relaying how she felt about that judge.

"Mike, I can't believe what an idiot that judge is, I'm sorry you had to go through that, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here, if you don't, that's fine too."

"Thanks Connie, I'd rather forget it for now, but I appreciate your support, I really do"

"Drink after work if you want, its on me"

"Let's save that drink for after this case, I have a feeling it only gets worse"

xxxxxxx

Motion hearing- Lira Trial

March 16

Mr Garcia "We request that your honor deny the prosecution's request to unseal the juvenile record of Mr Lira, juvenile records are sealed for a reason and in the 9 years since Mr Lira was released from juvenile incarceration, he has been a model citizen and gainfully employed, juvenile records are sealed for a reason"

Connie "Your honor, the defendant is accused of a very serious crime, the prosecution seeks to determine if this is a continuing pattern, no matter the time lapse"

Judge "Nice try counselors, motion is denied"

Mr Garcia "Fingerprint evidence wasn't logged into the system for 10 hours after the time the onsite investigation was completed, furthermore, said prints were not matched via the NYPD system but were sent to the FBI for comparison. Furthermore my client's prints were taken on April 15 at 10 am, yet they were not logged into the system until April 16, a full day later. The match was made on another April 18, another two days later. I submit that the chain of custody is suspect and these results should be excluded"

Mike "Your honor, the defense is more than welcome to question the related CSU techs during the trial and ask these questions during trial is more than adequate"

Judge "Motion to exclude is denied"

Theresa Quizoda had shown up at the DA's office wanting to talk to the DA's prosecuting Roberto Lira. Connie didn't feel up to a discussion with a suspects girlfriend, she hated having to tell them, yes your "insert boyfriend/husband/mother" did indeed kill someone, the evidence points to them or they wouldn't have arrested them. She understood how they never ever wanted to believe a loved one was capable of something so heinous, sigh. She did a quick look up of Theresa in the system, drug possession charges, bigger sigh, she hoped this girl wasn't going to be high. Well it was a part of her job, she might as well get it over with, with the overwhelming evidence, it should be a quick discussion. She would stop by Mike's office to see if he wanted to sit in, maybe the girlfriend would inadvertently let something slip that they could use in the trial.

"You don't understand, Richard doesn't get violent, I was in college &amp; a cashier at the store. We started dating, to get myself through school &amp; work, I started using just a little speed here &amp; there, some coke, then meth. I was out of control, but Richard, he's loyal, he stays with me, tries to clean me up. Sometimes I'd just go crazy, accuse him of things, push his buttons, hit him, say the worst things ever to, you know, to try &amp; make him angry, get in his face to, I hate admitting this, but to try and get him to hit me, to punish me. But he just stood there and took it and even when he got so mad at me, he'd close his eyes and just count and it would calm him down, he said Sam taught him that. Richard just didn't get angry, so there's no way in the world he'd raise a hand against anyone &amp; no way he would do anything to Sam or Margie, he loved them, he admired &amp; worshipped them. "

Mike "Well sometimes money changes everything"

Teresa jumps in "And as far as this crazy story about him being written into the will, he would have said something about it, it never happened. Robert doesn't care about money, he'd tell you his reward was finding that job with Sam, that was all the reward he needed. Sam hired him when he was 18, he couldn't read real well, didn't have a high school diploma. You know why he couldn't read? Because his asshole father kept him out of school and made him go around boosting cars or people's houses with him or he'd beat him. He taught him to pickpocket tourists at 7, boost a car at 12, those juvie arrests? Because Robert didn't want to do that stuff, so he was bad at stealing &amp; got caught, did they ever take him away from his lousy father, no a few months in Juvie &amp; back to the devil. One day his dad was stealing from this apartment but the owner came home, his dad shot the owner, but not before the owner pulled the silent alarm. Cops showed up &amp; arrested them both. Robert was 14, he went to juvie, said it was the best thing for him, he learned to read a little, there was a computer that he started playing with, state kicked him out at 18, no money, no prospects, he lived in a shelter for a while, took odd jobs and one day saw a Help Wanted sign at Sam's store.

Robert worked hard in the stock room, harder than anyone else, volunteered for more work, when Sam found out he was virtually homeless, there was a little room in the building that he let Robert live in, gave him books to read, an old computer to play with, Robert felt he owed everything to Sam. When these iPhones came out, Robert knew they were going to be big, he talked Sam into setting aside a portion of his store to mobile phones &amp; electronics and serving local small businesses, which led to people hearing about the store, which made them blew up, making money like crazy. Sam wanted to give Robert big bonuses, but he wouldn't accept what he tried to pay him, told him to give it to the people who worked below him or to donate it to charity. Robert didn't care about money, he loved working at the store and he loved Sam &amp; Margie. So there's no way he'd kill them for money. "

After she leaves, Mike to Connie

"Well guess the unsealing of juvie records wouldn't have helped"

Connie "I'll check out Lira's work and pay history, maybe it wasn't quite as rosy as she thinks"

Xxxxxxxx

Connie at Heath &amp; Son's Corporate Offices, Office of the CFO

"Tell me about Robert Lira and Mr. Lira's compensation package?"

Mr Hart "The kid worked hard and Sam took him under his wing, he learned the business, eventually Sam promoted him to Assistant store manager, he spruced up the store, made it look modern, then he had the genius idea to get into mobile phones/computers/electronics, we were there at the right time, opened another couple of stores and kiosks due to demand, made Sam a fortune.

Connie honed in "Any animosity over Sam making all that money when Robert came up with the idea"

Hart snorted "Sam was a generous guy, regarding Robert's compensation, well lets just say it would have been much better if Sam got his way, but Robert absolutely refused a raise, I had even cut a very large bonus check for him about 4 years ago, but he refused it, had Sam give small bonuses to all of his underlings instead. It was a pain since I'd already cut the check to Robert; he just was loyal to Sam, loyal to the family, loyal to the store. You sure you have the right guy for this murder? I just can't believe Robert would do such a thing and I'm a pretty cynical guy"

Connie gave a noncommittal hmm and thanked him for his time.

As she's leaving the store, an employee walks up to her

Young Latino Employee "Are you a cop, did you arrest Robert?"

Connie "I'm not a cop, I'm with the DA's office, I'm not at liberty to discuss the case"

Employee "You got the wrong guy, there's no way Robert would do anything like this to anyone and especially not to Sam. I'd say anyone in this building, that son of Sam's, even you would be more likely to do something like this. I know what this is, it's a frame job"

Connie smiles sarcastically at him, "I can assure you we are not in the business of framing people" walks out.

xxxxxxxx

Mar 22

Yes, Mike thought the Silva case did get worse, much worse, not only was Philip Shoemaker convicted, but also Nelson Lehman, Nicole Shoemaker's maternal grandfather, and poor Nicole would be left with her mother, the person who set this whole mess in motion by her selfishness. Even Jack commented on how down Mike was after "winning" this case. As they walked out of Jack's office, Connie headed to her office, his eyes following her down the corridor, stop being so obvious, he thought to himself.

Around five o clock Mike stopped by her office "Connie, I'm taking you up on that drink right now, I've had enough of the Silva's and the Shoemaker's, let's go, I command it" he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes

"All right, let's go" as she arched her brow at him

"I was only joking about that command stuff just so you know." He said as they got in the elevator "I'd never think that I could get away with commanding Connie Rubirosa" he said smiling

"Just so we're clear on that" she smirked at him. Connie watched Mike, she could tell this case had really affected him, she wondered how much was his sympathy for little Nicole and how much was because memories of his father had been dredged up.

Xxxxxxx

The hour was early so they were able to quickly grab a table at their preferred bar near the office. While she ordered their drinks at the bar, she noticed Mike looking around, surveying the bar's occupants.

Mike was staring off into the distance when she returned with their drinks "hey, you still here"

"Yeah, I'm here, how about we finish this drink and head over to your place for dinner, if you don't mind, we can order takeout"

"That sounds like a great plan" said Connie, her place was just a five minute walk from the bar, she wondered if he wanted to talk and would feel more comfortable being away from a crowd. She hoped so.

They ordered their usual, Chinese, and ate in her living room, they talked about the case a little, but she noticed he avoided the parts that touched on his life. Fair enough she thought, he's not ready to talk about it.

He looking tired and miserable, he looked up at her and said, "Boy I'm glad you had already agreed to go out with me before this case, I'd have been a total sad sack case, license issue, father issues, I would have been sure I was just a sympathy-

She cut him off, "don't even say it Mike, do not go there"

"Yeah sorry, gallows humor." he closed his eyes and continued "You know, I've seen my father once in the last 25 years, at his mother's funeral. Did I resent him? I don't know if I'd use the word "resent" to describe how I felt about my father. I remember in college him "scheduling" a few lunches with me when he was working in NYC, but he had his secretary cancel when he had meetings come up. His secretary called me one day and said "your father can see you today for lunch", but I had class and couldn't make it, she was quite put out that I wouldn't drop everything and rush over. After that I didn't bother to respond and I heard he moved onto another company, another town. And now my feelings, I guess I'd lean more towards indifference. "

"I'm sorry Mike" Connie was surprised that he wanted to discuss his father, she wanted to be there for him, she smiled at him encouragingly, taking his hand. They talked into the night and before they knew it, it was very late.

Mike, looking at his watch, "Wow it's later than I thought, I should be going" and yawned. Connie thought he looked exhausted and not just from the late hour. She could see the parallels in selfish behavior between Mrs. Silva and Mike's father were dredging up bad memories.

"Hey, you look exhausted, you don't have to leave, you can stay the night if you want." She didn't really want him to be alone tonight

"Connie, I'd like that, if you really don't mind?" said Mike smiling at her and brushing aside a lock of hair that fell across her forehead.

"Stay, please"

As she nestled in his arms in bed, they talked a little more, then he kissed the top of her head and said "Goodnight Connie, thanks" It was unspoken, but she knew the thanks was for being there and listening to him, supporting him, she cuddled up tighter and whispered "goodnight Mike, sleep well"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Set during Love Eternal - Connie reflects on a month together. Also I imagined they stayed in the Hamptons after visiting that realtor in Love Immortal taking a mini vacation**_

Apr 9th

Since he forgot to bring an overnight bag, Mike had left very early to head back to his place to get ready for work, Connie drank her coffee, reflecting on the almost month of dating and the things you learn when sleeping with a co-worker. Seeing Mike through these new eyes was interesting; her Mike wasn't nearly as deadly serious nor unrelentingly aggressive as Mike Cutter EADA, her Mike was playful and smiled a lot more. When they were together behind closed doors, her Mike wasn't romantic per se, as he had made pains to point out, lest she be disappointed, but her Mike was genuinely affectionate. At home, at the dinner table, he'd hold her hand after dinner while they chatted, or while they were watching TV on the couch. During TV time they cuddled up together on the couch, and he'd randomly kiss the top of her head or squeeze her to him, not in a trying to make a move kind of way, just pure affection. When he did put the moves on, he was significantly smoother than she expected, she had no complaints at all with that aspect of their togetherness, she thought smiling to herself.

Watching the Classic baseball channel with him was amusing to her, she assumed he already knew what was going to happen in each game, yet he'd still yell at the players for botched plays, or umpires for terrible calls. However, he didn't find it as amusing when she laughed at him during the games, so she'd try to keep a straight face, but she always broke, which usually lead to mock indignation on his part. In turn, that made her laugh even more, and eventually him as well, he's just a normal guy at home, why does that surprise you so much, she mused.

He was very good at keeping work and personal separate, she was sure no one in the office suspected they were dating, well, she thought ruefully, not any more than they suspected they were dating prior to them actually dating. She still had those voices in her head nagging her about it being wrong to sleep with her boss, but she was actively ignoring them.

Though they spent their entire workday together, in this first month they spent several weeknights and all weekends together, either cooking a meal together or ordering takeout in their apartments. Usually during the week, they'd stay at her place and Friday and Saturday night at his place. Some nights were spent just talking in bed until the small hours of the morning, really getting to know each other. She would have thought that it would have resulted in overload, but it hadn't so far. Occasionally they brought work home to look at over dinner instead of staying in the office, but Mike was very good about delineating when work time ended, which surprised her somewhat since he was so aggressive about work. She liked that he enjoyed his personal time with her and tried to keep work from intruding on their time.

Getting to the deeper layers of Mike Cutter was slow going, but it was worth it, she felt like they had become infinity closer in the month they'd been dating. He'd admitted that he had shared more with her than he'd ever shared with anyone else in his life, but she never pushed, she thought it was better to let him open up to her at his own pace. She enjoyed getting to know Michael Cutter, more than even she thought she would. Probably what she enjoyed the most was how special he made her feel through a whispered word, a look, or a touch, that wordless communication they shared in the office and the courtroom, carried over to their home life.

She sighed; it was time to head into work for their meeting with Felner and Ashcroft, the two men who were trying to strip all of their assets so that their wives couldn't claim a portion in a divorce. Yes, onto the relationship affirming part of her job, ha.

xxxxxxx

He picked Connie up at her apartment, she had an overnight bag along with her briefcase and they were on their way to the Hampton's. It would be about a two hour drive if they were lucky. Connie spent the first part of their drive lining up a bed &amp; breakfast to stay at for the evening. Jack had agreed it was due diligence to go to the Hampton's to interview the realtor who could confirm if the DiNapoli's were indeed buying property together, thereby invalidating the divorce claim and Marielles motive for the murder. He ended with a parting shot to look for more dead husbands in the bushes. After their meeting with Jack, Connie had come into Mike's office with a proposal, to stay the night in the Hampton's, so they didn't have to make the long trip back and they'd get to spend time together time. She'd quietly detailed that she'd go home and pack an overnight bag, he'd grab all his dry cleaning that he hadn't taken home in a while and then he could swing by and pick her up at her apartment and they'd be off to the Hampton's. It would be nice to spend an evening away from NYC and all the watchful eyes, to have dinner out and not worry about someone seeing them. Though the Hampton's wasn't that far away and there was always a chance someone who knew them from the city could be going to the Hamptons, since it was still early in April and unseasonably cold, the chances were quite low. While he enjoyed having meals and movies in his or Connie's apartment, he really wished he could take her out and enjoy all the wonderful restaurants and events that NYC had to offer, so this idea was really appealing to him. They both felt it best to be private about their relationship, but still he'd love to wine and dine her on occasion, and to maybe even hold her hand out in public.

He just hoped they'd also get some answers to this case, it was the strangest case that had come across his desk in a long time, if not ever. A guy locked in a dog cage, killed with a sword? He couldn't even say it out loud without questioning his sanity. And Marielle DiNapoli, she was a piece of work. Was this case and all involved in some kind of alternate reality? Mike sighed, he looked forward to tonight. Connie had called the realtor and arranged for the meeting before they left the office, she called now to confirm that they were on their way and that they'd be there by 4pm and that the realtor would meet them at the property. Connie was done arranging everything, so she zeroed in on Mike. "So, you appreciate being single huh Mike"

He returned with "It was a very Mike Cutter, EADA, thing to say, don't you think. Good act right?"

She turned toward him, arching her brow at him "Oh so is that how you want to play it?" she teased.

He knew it was a dumb thing to say as soon as it had come out of his mouth, and he'd immediately looked at Connie and saw her quizzical look aimed at him. He'd tried to move onto the next matter at hand, arresting Mrs. DiNapoli, but he knew that statement would come back to haunt him, and now when he was stuck in the car for at least another hour and a half, what perfect timing. He was hoping to have a nice romantic evening tonight, he didn't want to screw it up before it even got started. "Look Connie, I apologize for being such a dolt"

"This time or all the times?" she shot back, he winced a little, but he saw the grin on her face, she was enjoying torturing him, but she wasn't really mad at him.

He grinned back at her and he suddenly found himself grabbing her left hand and bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of her hand. Connie's mouth dropped open in shock, but she quickly recovered and smoothed over her features with a shy smile. She wasn't use to Mike showing affection in public, well this wasn't really public, they were in their car, but still.

She smiled and Mike was obviously sneaking glances at her, because she heard his questioning "what?" her grin widened as she said "See I told you this would be a fun trip"

He replied with a low flirtatious " Just you wait."

She could feel her cheeks flush as her mind, and obviously his, raced ahead to this evening. She was glad that she had suggested this trip, it would be nice to get away from the city and away from feeling like they were sneaking around, even if it were only for one evening. She wasn't used to feeling like she was doing something elicit in a relationship, they were both single, it was just the damn job, they weren't having an affair, weren't cheating on anyone, unlike Marielle, who cheated with Mr DiNapoli on her first husband. Ok so they were kind of cheating on their job, Mike was her boss, they were violating some rule that existed in some code of conduct, but didn't it count that they still did their job of prosecuting criminals under the laws of the State of New York to the highest standards. The fact that they were in relationship hadn't affected their job at all.

Mike saw Connie biting her lip and frowning and wondered where she'd gone, "Hey, something wrong, penny for your thoughts"

Connie shook her head, she obviously was showing her inner conflict and didn't want to ruin the mood. She said, "I was just thinking about the case, she pulled out her case notes, Mrs DiNapoli's first husband had owned this property before they were married, and she conducted an affair at this property with Mr DiNapoli. Mr DiNapoli then killed her first husband with Thalium. According to Marielle, they were looking at buying this property since it was coming back on the market. If they were buying property together, it would seem the allegation that they were divorcing would be inaccurate, and her motive for murder would be gone.

Mike "Well we need to verify that he was serious about the purchase and not just pandering to Marielle"

"Yeah" Connie continued reading the file "there were several calls to the police by neighbors over the years, ... Including seeing Mr DiNapoli running around in his underwear with a tail hanging out, being chased by Mrs DiNapoli with a whip!?""

Mike dryly noted "He must have been a really bad dog"

Xxxxx

The realtor they met with was convinced that the DeNapoli's were a happy couple, deeply in love and were going to buy the property. She did drop a very interesting piece of information, Joel Felner had called her representing that he was the DeNapoli's business manager, which was a lie and as Mike said could be that Felner wanted to see if DeNapoli was screwing up their asset hiding deal. They decided to call in Felner's and Ashcroft's wives on Monday and see if they could shake anything loose on their respective husbands. As soon as Connie got off the phone with Mrs Felner &amp; Mrs Ashcroft she started giggling at Mike.

"Well you were in fine form during that interview with the realtor 'Perfect to chase your lover around with a whip, really Mike, were you just trying to get us kicked off the property?"

He adopted a stern look "Your fault Ms. Rubirosa, before our meeting, you read me the details of the the DiNapoli's extracurricular activities at that house, how did you expect me to have any other thoughts while walking around the grounds other than a guy with a dog collar and tail" to which he couldn't maintain the stern look any longer and they both dissolved into fits of laughter.

Mike enjoyed seeing Connie laugh, he realized that he frequently caused her much stress and consternation, not intentionally, it was just part of the job, but it was nice to be able to balance the scales a bit, Yes Ms Rubirosa, this trip was a great idea he thought happily to himself. He looked over at Connie and returned the smile he saw on her lovely face.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Vacation begins**_

They checked into the bed &amp; breakfast and Mike casually quizzed the owner about other guests, all were from out of the country, two Italian couples, two French and a Japanese couple. Connie and Mike relaxed even more, assured that they would not have to worry about anyone from the city seeing them on their little get away.

Their host, Luca, an Italian gentleman, said "Sunset isn't for another hour or so , why don't we make your dinner reservation for seven thirty, it will give you time to walk around the grounds, watch the sunset and have time to rest before dinner."

"Perfect" Connie was very pleased with her selection, it was charming and quaint, had well manicured grounds, and had a gorgeous view of the bay. They walked outside, taking a path that would eventually lead them around the back and out to the front water side, hopefully right at sunset. She had felt the tension ease out of Mike as soon as the host had said all the guests were visitors from outside the US, he was as relaxed as she'd ever seen him. He rested his hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her around to a trellis that would eventually see a springtime bounty of flowers. The owners must really love gardening, the grounds were meticulous, with little signs signifying which flower or shrubbery was planted nearby, a little greenhouse off to the back.

She turned and looked at him, a grin on her face "Mike, we should come back when everything is in bloom, I bet it's gorgeous"

He leaned in for a quick kiss and said "I don't know, that would be a real risk for allergy season"

She laughed, swatted him on the shoulder and kept walking. They rounded the path and were rewarded with a stunning view of the water with the sun's final rays. Mike leaned against her, wrapping his arms around her, his chin on her shoulder, this just feels right, thought Connie, it was so casual, but so right.

She turned her head slightly towards Mike and was delighted when he leaned in for a kiss, she pressed against him, a sigh escaping her lips when his lips moved to her neck, kissing a trail down her neck, turning into giggles as he wrestled with her scarf.

"Let's go back to our room" Mike breathed low into her ear.

He backed her up against the door as soon as they'd got into their room, their scarves and jackets tossed on the couch as they entered. He kissed her lips, his tongue parting her lips, slowly teasing her tongue, her hands finding their way to his hair, his hands sliding down her side to her waist and then around to her back, pulling her ever closer. He loved the way Connie felt against him, how she tasted, how she touched him. But he was determined tonight was a slow burn, so he slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, kissed the spot where he'd rested his forehead and said "I think we should get ready for dinner" shooting her a wink.

Connie tipped her head back against the door, her breathing gradually returning to normal, she stared at him, chewing her lower lip, eventually pushing herself off the door and over to her travel bag. She stripped off her work suit and slipped into a little black dress.

Mike looked over appreciatively, "You are trying to make me regret making dinner reservations aren't you"

"Game on" smirked Connie.

xxxxxx

The dining room was cozy, but the four tables were arranged in such a way that each felt fairly private, each table dressed with candles and a homemade flower arrangement. Mike selected a nice bottle of French cabernet franc, which the host, who doubled as their waiter for the evening, opened and poured for them. Mike selected the pan-roasted salmon with the potato mousseline and roasted carrots, Connie decided to be decadent and chose the wine braised short ribs, with porcini mushroom risotto, also served with roasted carrots. The chef surprised them with an amuse bouche of a grilled prawn and avocado, with prawn oil, it was simple and delicious,

"I wonder where they find such creamy avocado's this time of year" murmured Connie, obviously enjoying the taste. He's so handsome she thought as she considered Mike, as he gazed at her over the candlelight, her head getting ever so slightly fuzzy from the wine.

Mike couldn't believe he was here, staring at Connie Rubirosa over candlelight in the Hampton's, did she know how enticing she was, tentatively biting her lower lip before she took a sip of her wine, looking at him with that contented smile? His reverie was interrupted by their fist course, a mixed green salad, dotted with chopped figs and candied walnuts, topped by a simple, light herb infused vinaigrette.

"All the times we moved around, only once did we live by the beach, in California, my father's company was at the LA harbor, we lived in a rented house in South Torrance, right by Redondo Beach. I remember it well, the weather was so nice, I could play baseball all year round. We lived there for two years when I was 7, also one of our longer stays in an one area." he looked reflective

She was surprised he brought up his childhood, it was a sore topic and she hadn't asked more than cursory questions when the topic had been painfully dredged up during the Oscar Silva attempted murder case, letting him tell his story at is own pace. "It must have been hard moving so often, new schools, new friends, new teachers" she said sadly, "What was your favorite place of all the places you lived?" trying to brighten the mood

"Hmm, we lived in Boston when I was younger, Hong Kong for six months when I was 5, Texas for almost a year after that, the Carolina's for less than a year, Connecticut for six months, New York for maybe six months, then California for two years, Seattle for a year, and then Florida for a year, that's where my dad left my mother. Well for the mere fact that it was warm and I could play baseball year-round, California, New York because it was exciting and had the Yankees, Florida would have to be my least favorite" his eyes unsuccessfully hiding a bit of sadness

Connie didn't want to push and felt bad reminding him of that time in his life. He surprised her by continuing on, "My mom hated Florida, so we left and went back to Connecticut for awhile, then back to her home state of Washington, I graduated high school and went to Washington State for awhile, I decided I wanted to come back to the east coast, so I transferred to Hudson, I'd also took some general ed classes at a community college in Washington. That confusion was what led to my undergraduate degree being a bit more complicated than say yours." And he smiled at her

"Baseball was the thing I could do at just about any place we went, unless it was Connecticut and wintertime" and he winked at her

"What position did you play?"

"Mainly second base, I could turn a double play even as a kid, whether everyone else could follow through with their part.." he shrugged his shoulders " but baseball was my saving grace" he stopped as he saw the entrees headed towards them. Grinning as he saw Connie's eyes go wide.

Their entrees were brought to the table by the chef herself, who was the wife of their host/waiter, and the plates were visually appealing and the aroma's spiraling up were incredible. The flavors were even more amazing, the potato mousseline silky smooth, comparing them to mashed potatoes was sacrilegious unless you considered them the apex of mashed potatoes. The porcini risotto, earthy and rich, the roasted carrots smoky and unlike any carrot they'd ever had. The salmon perfectly cooked, flaky and flavorful, the short ribs had a depth of flavor, and yet were meltingly tender.

"Oh Mike you have to taste these short ribs, she gushed, cutting a piece and holding it out for him to try, he leaned over and took the bite.

"Hmm, I don't know, I can't really tell, must not have been a good piece, I think I might need to try another piece?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled innocently, "look mister don't think you can fool me" and threw him a sultry look. After stealing some of his potatoes, Connie was heading towards full but she was looking forward to dessert, so she gave Mike the rest of her short ribs.

After they'd finished their entrees, and were just chatting about their meal, the chef came by to ensure they were enjoying their evening. "Everything is magnificent, if you don't mind me asking, this meal is beyond gourmet and more than I'd expect at a small B&amp;B in the Hamptons"

She was answered by a slightly thick French accent "I actually learned to cook around the house from my father, who is a Cordon Bleu trained chef, where I also trained. My father has several starred restaurants in Lyon and where I found my husband Luca, he ran one of my father's restaurants; I don't think my father has forgiven me for stealing him away. We traveled around Europe and I talked my way into different kitchens by mentioning my fathers name" she laughed. "Some of my ingredients aren't local right now, because its still winter here, but a cousin imports for some of the top restaurants in NYC and orders a little extra, I only have to pay for the ingredients since the shipping doesn't increase that much, so I have fresh ingredients from the South of France, Spain, Morocco, California. I am Hélène, I'm pleased you are enjoying your stay",

"Well Hélène, it was definitely the most delicious meal I've ever had" enthused Connie, as Mike nodded his agreement

"Merci beaucoup, well I hope you've saved a little room for dessert"

"Always!"

As they waited for their dessert, Mike looked at Connie intently "What?" she breathed,

He took her hand across the table "You're so beautiful Connie, you take my breath away"

Connie felt her cheeks warm and staring into those deep blue eyes of his, she didn't know what to say, "Oh Mike"

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it sweetly, Connie stared at Mike's lips, anticipating the rest of the evening. He saw Hélène maneuvering a plate with a perfectly formed chocolate dome towards them, he lowered their hands to the table, but not letting go across the table. The chocolate mousse, perfectly encased in a chocolate shell and resting on a vanilla bean sauce, was decadent, served with a small glass of sweet wine, the sweetness of the wine tempered by the richness of the chocolate. Connie was sure she groaned after her first bite of that mousse, something very unbecoming a lady, but Mike said he'd ignore that. The mousse wasn't very large, maybe six bites at most, but it was perfect end to the meal.

After one bite, Mike smiled at her "The rest is yours Connie"

She laughed, "Now I know you're a keeper, letting me have the rest of the dessert"

Their meal had been a leisurely two and a half-hour affair, it had flown by, perfect wine and she felt like Mike had let her in like never before. Though the food had been rich, the portions were European in size, so she didn't feel overly full. She looked at Mike, bathed in the glow of the candlelight, looking so handsome. A piano was playing in the library, a slow mournful tune; they took their glasses and sat by the fireplace, enjoying the music and the warmth of the fire.

Mike saw Hélène say something to the other couple who got up and started swaying to the music. "My husband will think you don't like his music if you don't dance" she said to them with a wink.

Mike stood up and offered his hand to Connie, "May I have this dance"

"My pleasure" she smiled back at him.

As long as it's a slow dance, I'm ok, thought Mike as Connie stepped into his arms" "God, I could get lost in her eyes" thought Mike as he led Connie in several dances

Connie whispered into his ear "I think its time we retired to our room" and she leaned into him and kissed him, a short but heated kiss. He led her off the dance floor, stopping to gush once again about their wonderful meal to Hélène and her husband

"I'm so pleased you enjoyed yourselves, I think you two work very hard, be sure to enjoy life", and they each ended with "Merci beaucoup" and air kisses.

On the way back to the room, Connie said enticingly "I think I'm going to take advantage of that gorgeous claw footed bathtub in our room, why don't you join me?" Mikes mouth was dry with anticipation. Connie turned the taps on, filling the tub with warm water, as they waited for the tub to fill, Mike stepped behind Connie and slowly unzipped her little black dress, his lips trailing down the path of the zipper, each kiss sending shivers through her body. Soon the tub was half full, she stepped out of her dress, she turned and unbuttoned his shirt and rolled it off of his shoulders, undoing his belt buckle and unzipping his pants in a smooth motion, soon all clothing had been discarded. She bent over and tested the water, looking back at Mike, whose eyes were transfixed on her, taking in the sight of her, she stepped into the warm water, laying back against the tub, eyes shining at Mike.

Mike stepped around behind her, he wanted her so badly, but slow burn was the game tonight, he lifted her hair, she leaned forward and he clipped her hair up as he'd seen her do so many times, then he squatted down and turning her head, kissing her from behind, his hands roaming, on her shoulders, her arms, over her body, she moaned into his mouth. His lips found her neck, kissed down her spine, back to her lips. He picked up a washcloth, slowly swirling it in lazy circles on her back, then retracing the path his lips had taken, down her spine, up to her neck, taking a new path across and over her shoulders, while his mouth was on hers, his tongue meeting and teasing hers, his hands and the washcloth finding her clavicle, and heading down, pausing to tease, ever so briefly and continuing down across her belly. Connie was on fire, her senses overwhelmed, her body teased to bursting, she moaned, the pleasure was overwhelming, her hands reached back pulling him closer, their kisses more heated. And then, he pulled away, his lips no longer on hers, a groan escaped her, and then he was in the tub, crushing her against the tub, his mouth settling over her mouth, his tongue challenging hers, his hands roaming, her senses on fire. His hands wrapped around her, gliding up and down her back, crushing her impossibly closer to him, on fire now, her hands found him, pulling him closer still. Her mind was positively aflame, "now, now" was all she could think, his hard body crushing hers, his mouth on hers. And then his kisses slowed, a gentle kiss on her forehead, with his forehead coming to rest against the spot he'd just kissed. Their breathing was ragged, but slowly began to normalize. He climbed out of the tub, toweled himself off quickly and grabbed another towel and held it out for her, she stepped out of the tub and into his waiting arms. As the towel enveloped her, drying the water from her body, his mouth and hands were not still, her body smoldering as he kissed, nipped and licked her with barely controlled passion, all the while slowly moving her toward the bed, their bodies eager for what would come next. Soon there was no thinking at all.

Connie still wasn't used to waking up with someone next to her in bed, but she smiled as she opened her eyes to Mike's arm draped across her, his breathing shallow against her neck. She closed her eyes again, not ready for the day to begin, judging by the darkness peeking through the curtains, she imagined it was still quite early. Closing her eyes also brought images of last night flashing through her mind, the beautiful grounds, sunset kisses, the magnificent dinner and dessert, slow dancing, more kisses, the bathtub, and finally the ultimate bliss. She remembered the afterward, laying in Mike's arms, her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat, his hands never leaving her, stroking her back gently, his kisses on the top of her head. Her lips curved into a smile as she recalled that it had eventually led to more bliss, and when they finally did sleep, it had been in each other's arms. What she felt for him scared her, she had certainly never felt this intensely about any man she had been with in the past. She'd had her share of relationships, many had been pleasant enough, and she'd even had genuine affection for some of her suitors, but none had made her heart, head and body do the cartwheels Mike did. She was far from a prude, but she wasn't used to this desire she felt with Mike, this loss of control, this craving for him, for his touch, his smile, his presence. She felt him stirring next to her, and a smile came to her face, "maybe its time to wake Mike up" she thought. She backed into him gently, as if she were sleeping and smiled when his arms tightened around her, and she felt his kisses on her neck, might be time for a little more bliss, thought Connie happily

"Connie, you wouldn't think after that extravagant meal last night that we'd be so famished this morning, must be all that extracurricular activity" he winked at her. As they walked down the stairs, the aroma of freshly baked bread greeted them.

"Ah good morning, we hope you two are hungry, we have homemade croissants, French cheeses and jams, and we can make you a breakfast of eggs, however you like them, we also have fruit and cereals. Please sit down."

Their orders of two omelets were placed and Connie immediately dug into the breadbasket for a croissant, and almost squealed when she found it was still warm. She tore off a piece and smeared on a little French butter and homemade blackberry jam to top it off, "I think I'm in heaven."

He smiled and took a bite of his croissant and dryly noted "that's so good it's a crime"

Their omelets were tender, creamy and perfectly cooked, each bite did its own dance on her tongue, Connie was sure she'd never be able to have another omelet or croissant, as any other would fall so short in comparison. Even though it was still fairly early, they were the last couple to have breakfast and since Hélène was done in the kitchen, she offered to give them a little tour of the grounds, her greenhouse and their wine cellar. Hélène was not only a gourmet chef, but also an amiable hostess and tour guide, they laughed the whole tour, while also learning few things about French wine regions, how the worst was better than any Italian wines (as she poked her husband) and how vegetables grow in a greenhouse. Connie enjoyed listening to and talking with Hélène, she was worldly, opinionated, funny and spirited. They exchanged email addresses and promises to keep in touch. She assured Helene they would be back soon.

Mike opened the car door for her, leaned in and gave her a kiss, "Connie, you do come up with some good ideas every now and then" ending with a quick peck on her nose.

"Say that again, I have the best ideas-did I hear you say I have the best ideas?" "Mike promise me we'll come back"

Mike "That is a promise I intend to keep. And by the way, I said you have some good ideas every now and then, not the best ideas" and grinned at her.

As they drove away, she mused how this is the first time she'd been with him and not had a nagging voice in her head about the fact she was sleeping with her boss. Away from the City, away from the office, being together had just felt right and somehow she knew when they went back, nothing would change that. Sure they'd have to be careful again, watching the doors at restaurants to see who entered, not showing affection in public, not having private conversations in the office, but it wouldn't matter because she was sure now that they'd find a way to make this work.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Set around several cases Taxman Cometh, Crashers and Final trial in Love Eternal. Also two months after the start of Mike &amp; Connie.**_

May 7

It was nearly two months since that first dinner where they finally acknowledged their mutual attraction for one another, the best two months of his life Mike mused as he chopped tomatoes for a salsa. He watched Connie multitask through chopping onions &amp; garlic, some of which she dumped in his tomatoes, frying the rest with ground turkey and spices, making a salad dressing while the turkey cooked. He marveled at how she did it all coolly, methodically and efficiently, well no surprise there, it was how she did everything. They had worked out a bit of a dinner routine, he could handle simple tasks like chopping tomatoes or onions, tearing up lettuce for salads and take any other direction she threw at him. He stared at her now, a smile on her face as everything was coming together nicely, he had the overwhelming desire to kiss her. He raised his hand to her cheek, gently turning her towards him, her smile grew wider and her brow arched slightly as he just gently stroked her cheek, her eyes closed and her breathing quickened slightly. He leaned in, his lips brushing over hers, slowly deepening the kiss, his thumb lightly brushing her cheek, his tongue gently exploring, teasing her tongue, gradually pulling away, smiling at her. Connie looked up at him, slightly biting her lip, her eyebrow arched questioningly.

"What?" he said with his shy little half smile.

'What indeed" she sighed, mock pouting,

"Wouldn't want you to burn your turkey there" he winked at her.

"Never knew you to start something you couldn't finish" she breathed in a low sultry voice, before she broke out into a laugh, grinning she turned back to her turkey.

He chuckled and came up behind her, nuzzling his chin on her shoulder and giving her a little squeeze. "Connie, I think I enjoy our dinners in more than I'd enjoy being out, I get you all to myself"

Connie, smiling, turned her head and gave him a quick kiss before turning back to spicing her turkey mix "I do to Mike"

He had a quick panicked thought "Though don't think I'm a cheapskate, I'd absolutely take you out to dinner if you wanted to go out and didn't want to cook"

She chuckled again, "Oh don't you worry, when I get tired of cooking, it's your turn, we'll be having spaghetti for days, no seriously, I enjoy our kitchen teamwork and being able to enjoy a meal together, no stress. Truly" And she looked him in the eyes.

He brought the food to the table and gave her a quick kiss before they sat down.

Mike "Another homemade dressing! It tastes like that salad we had in the Hampton's, delicious!"

Connie looking pleased "You noticed! I emailed Hélène to beg her for her recipe, no she gave it to me easily, it isn't quite the same as hers, she is a professional chef after all, but not too bad."

Mike "You're wrong, it's delicious! So are these taco's"

Connie smiling "I'm glad you like it. Hélène asked about you by the way. We should go back to the Hampton's soon, we could just go up Friday night and come back Sunday, our case load seems to be a little lighter these days, maybe after the Lira trial."

Mike "I think that's doable. I'm glad the DiNapoli trial is over, we've had our share of bizarre cases lately and I thank you for not wearing the earrings she gave you."

Connie grimaced "Not romantic having Mr DiNapoli hanging from my ears? Yeah, I didn't think so. Yes, from the DiNapoli's to the accountants suggesting tax benefits for offing sick parents to that senator's wife killing that boy's sister. "

Mike chuckling "I still remember your face when you came back from the plastic surgeons office with the procedure you volunteered to have"

Connie laughing "The look on her face when I said I wanted that one too…"

Mike "It certainly has been an interesting run of cases" picking up her hand and raising it to his lips

Connie smiled and cocked her head at him. He just smiled at her, holding her hand.

Mike surprised himself by voicing "I hope everything works out with Amanda Green's baby"

Connie knew Mike had had mixed feelings about cases where the result was separating a parent from their child. He had no qualms about convicting murderers, but he did feel for their children. He reconciled the fact that the murderers were taking themselves away from their children, that it wasn't his fault. This was something she had learned in her years of working with Mike, something that had surprised her a little, that he wasn't unfeeling, he was just a realist.

"I'm sure it will Mike" Connie said quietly, favoring him with a small smile

"Yeah, I'm sure it will" he picked up the dishes and carried them to the sink, they took care of the dishes and headed to the living room.

Connie, changing the subject "The baseball game was pretty fun, thanks for taking me. I like that there was a lot of action, made it fun. You really didn't need to buy me a cap AND a jersey"

Mike "Yes, there was a lot of scoring, I prefer if my team does the most scoring, but at least they won. And I knew you'd look great in the cap and jersey, so I couldn't resist, of course you look great in everything "

Connie embarrassed "Mike…."

Mike "What? You do, you have to know that it's true. Of course I noticed the first time I met you that you were stunning and impeccably dressed. But if that was all that there was to Connie Rubirosa it wouldn't have made a difference to me, and I certainly wouldn't have been pining for you all these years. When I got to know you, how smart you are, how quick your mind works, how compassionate and kind, that's when I knew I was done for" looking at her cringing "What? Why are you embarrassed?"

Connie "Well the fact that it was my brain that sealed the deal makes me feel less embarrassed" she said, still kind of embarrassed

She was so lovely with her cheeks pinking, he leaned over a kissed her, a sweet kiss, and he pulled her closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. They stayed like that for several minutes, just enjoying the closeness of each other.

"So are you ready to continue your baseball education, Field of Dreams tonight?"

"I'm game"

They settled into watch the movie, and Connie noted the film was less about baseball and more about fathers and their sons, she observed Mike, who grew increasingly restless.

Mike hadn't seen Field of Dreams in a long time and now he remembered why he hadn't watched it recently. The movie stirred up uncomfortable feelings.

"Connie, do you mind if we don't finish this movie, I haven't watched it in a while and I forgot about certain aspects of the film"

Connie raised an eyebrow at him and before she could speak, he said "I'd rather not get into ….unresolved things"

Connie raised her hand to his cheek, smiling at him "I'm here if you ever want to work through them, I'm here if you don't" and she reached over and turned off the DVD player and TV, looking straight into his eyes

He stared at Connie for several minutes, felt her hand caressing his cheek. It hurt so much just looking at her, she was so beautiful and the look in her eyes conveyed how much she cared, about him, this incredible women cared about him. He needed to not think about old memories, memories he'd long ago moved past, right now he needed to feel something else. He kissed her, a deep kiss she returned with equal passion, his mind was on fire, he needed/wanted more, right now. His hands caressed her body, teasing, tempting.

Connie knew a little wound had opened up for Mike and this right now was to stem that hurt. She felt so much for this complicated man, she would gladly help him forget his pain, to not think about it. And as he kissed her, touched her, very soon she would not be thinking about anything else but his mouth and his hands.

Afterward, she lay in his arms on the couch, neither of them in a hurry to move, both contented to revel in their closeness.

As Mike caressed Connie, he was even more amazed at this incredible women, she was everything to him. Mike was so pleased that he hadn't done anything monumentally stupid to torpedo this relationship, it seemed like this relationship was just meant to be. Mike had never felt so relaxed and happy in his life.

If he only knew what was to happen in a week's time….

Xxxxxxxx

Lira Trial commences

May 13

Superior Court

Mike "Was the handprint found at the scene of the crime a match to the defendent"

FBI Expert "the handprint found was a match to the defendant with a 99.9% confidence level, it was 12 point match"

Mike "Thank you, no further questions"

Mr. Garcia "Can you tell us why this sample was sent to the FBI lab and was not processed by the NYPD' s Crime lab"

FBI Expert "We were asked to help with the fingerprint match is all I know"

Garcia "Why would a lab ask for your assistance, just for example"

FBI Expert "Where there isn't a match, our database is one of the largest in the world"

Garcia "That doesn't exactly apply in this case as the police had a direct sample to compare, is that correct"

FBI Expert "That's correct, there was a direct sample used for the comparison"

Garcia "Have you heard of Brandon Mayfield or Officer Phyllis Martin"

Mike "Objection-relevancy"

Garcia "Your honor, the State and the state's experts have asserted that the fingerprint identification is with 99% certainty, we intend to prove that it is not always the case"

Mike "Your honor- the Mayfield and Martin case have no relevancy to this case, Mr Garcia should argue the merits of this case and evidence collection, not all cases in the history of forensic science"

Garcia "We are not arguing all cases in the history of forensic science, strictly these two as examples of deficiencies in the collection and matching of fingerprint evidence, this witness is testifying as an expert witness in Forensics, therefore he may testify as to the forensics in those cases"

Judge "Sustained, move on Mr Garcia"

Garcia "You said that it is a 12 point match, isn't the standard to be considered a match in most countries a 20 point match

FBI expert "A match can be 4 point depending on the quality of the ridges matched"

Garcia "Then why do other countries consider a 20 point match the standard"

Mike "Objection-asked and answered, the witness stated a 4 point match can be considered accurate, he's not an expert on other countries forensic science"

Judge "sustained"

xxxxxxxx

May 14 Mike and Connie at Heath's Electronics to go over Sam Heath Jr. testimony

Connie and Mike observing Sam Heath Jr giving a speech to the employees at the store.

Sam "Ok, today is a big sales day, we need everyone giving 110%, management has been lax in the past over measuring individual results, we are going to be paying attention now. I'm the boss now, we are going to run this place right"

Connie observes several eye rolls from his target audience, including Mr. Hart.

Sam sees them and motions them to follow him upstairs.

Connie "Mr Heath, thank you for seeing us today, we just want to go over your testimony for the trial"

Heath "It's been very difficult, I'm taking over management of the stores, I have a lot of ideas on how to improve them, I have to crack down on the staff, they've been use to such lax oversight, I need to whip them into shape."

Mike "Um we need to go over your testimony about what you overheard that day you came to have lunch with your father and you heard him arguing with Robert Lira."

Heath "Oh yeah, I heard them arguing, Robert said "He deserved a bigger share"

Connie flipping through the notes of the case "I just want to confirm, in your statement to detectives Lupo and Bernard you said you couldn't really hear them and you just heard "a share of something"

Heath "Oh no I thought about it more and he definitely said "He deserved a bigger share"

Connie "Ok, just to be clear, we just want you to tell us what you remember, you don't need to embellish for us, or phrase these favorably for our cases, you'll be testifying under oath"

Heath annoyed &amp; condescendingly "yes, I already told you, I'm telling you what I recall"

Mike has a grimace on his face, as if he finds Heath distasteful. Connie looking thoughtful "Ok, thank you"

xxxxxxxxx

May 14 The Trial continues

Garcia "Why was the evidence collected at 9am not logged into the system until 7pm that evening, a full 10 hours later?

NYPD CSU detective – "Well the team was onsite for another four more hours thoroughly collecting other evidence"

Garcia "Ok, that takes us to 1-2pm, there's another 5 hours before it was logged in"

CSU- "I don't know the answer to that, however the samples were all bagged and sealed, there is confirmation that the seals had not been broken"

Garcia "My clients prints were taken on March 15, but were not logged until March 16, can you explain the reason for the delay"

CSU – "there are procedures in place and there is a queue and review process before items are entered into the system to ensure quality, sometimes there is a backlog"

Garcia "It would seem that all of the forensic evidence related to my client was on delay"

Mike "Objection"

Garcia "Withdrawn, why was the fingerprint analysis sent to the FBI Lab instead of being processed and matched at the NYPD lab"

CSU- "There was significant smudging of ridges of the sample, it was determined that the FBI sampling technique would be more accurate"

xxxxxxxx

Mike to Connie as they walk out "It's like death by a thousand papercuts"

xxxxxxxxx

"Mr. Lira is here to listen to your offer" Mr. Garcia stated.

Mike "He pleads guilty to two counts of murder in the 2nd degree, he serves 30 years"

Richard stating bitterly "I know you know I ain't got no chance, I'll take the deal"

Intently observing Richard, Connie replied "We expect you to allocute in court for each murder, tell us exactly how &amp; why you killed the Heath's"

Richard exploded "No, I'll plead guilty because I ain't got no choice but I'll never say I killed Sam &amp; Mrs H, (and more quietly) never, ever since I didn't"

Exasperatedly, Mike replied "we can't accept this plea unless you allocute to the murders &amp; we certainly can't accept this plea if you state you're innocent!"

Richard stands up and calls the guard to escort him out, "I guess I'll have to be found guilty" Then he looks at Connie "Ya sabes eres solo guera hasta que usted no está" (You know you are only white until you aren't)

Connie quietly "Trabajamos con la culpabilidad o inocencia aquí" (We only deal with guilt or innocence here)

Mike stares at the pair. After he's gone "Counselors, my client has not wavered in his innocence of these charges"

Mike sarcastically "They're all not guilty, especially those that leave a bloody hand print at the scene"

Garcia "We have as yet to prove that one way or the other, but I swear this guy is different Mr. Cutter" Garcia leaves.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A division in the ranks**_

An hour has passed and Connie steps into Mike's office, frowning, chewing her lip, "Mike, I think we should take another look at this case"

Mike gripping his baseball, frowning back "Why, the trials going well, and the evidence is solid, we have the defendants handprint at the scene"

Connie "I've just got a feeling about this one, plus you saw him, he knows he's getting convicted, with two sentences of probably 25 years to run consecutively and he turns down a deal that could get him out in 30, because he won't allocute? Something here just doesn't sit right with me"

"Are you sure what isn't sitting right is Mr. Lira tugging your heartstrings and shared heritage?" spit out Mike. What was that about he thought to himself.

Her face burning, "What are you accusing me of?" "Feeling sorry for a defendant because he's Mexican"

Mike digging the hole deeper "Well I'm just trying to figure out where this is coming from, we've convicted murderers with less evidence" "Or maybe you are agreeing with the defense that there is some grand conspiracy and our cops planted evidence?"

Somehow this conversation had spiraled out of control and she didn't know how "Really Mike, after all this time working together, that's what you think" and walked out.

Mike watched her leave and held back the desire to call her back and apologize, what the hell had gotten into him? Well certainly this late in a _trial_, much less a case was a bit late to be calling into question the defendant's guilt or innocence. That wasn't the issue Mike and you know it. He had felt a pang of what, at how Connie looked at the defendant and that exchange in Spanish. She had told him what they'd said and it had all been harmless, but when she'd come in and took Lira's side... She didn't really take Lira's side, she just wanted to discuss the evidence and take another look. You trust her instincts; she has a very keen sense of reading people, evidence, situations, why did you shut that down? Because you're_ Jealous_ Mike, with a capital J and for no good reason, how could you act so unprofessional. He knew he was in trouble now, he'd never felt so strongly about any women that he'd felt jealousy before. And what had he done to this woman that he felt so strongly about, pushed her away, insulted her and now what? She was pissed, he could see that, he could not say anything that would fix this and would in fact probably make it worse. She'll probably cancel their date tonight, and that made him even surlier. I need to get back to work and let this sit for a bit so I can figure out what to do. And just hope you haven't torpedoed your relationship, Michael Cutter.

Xxxxxx

Connie sat at her desk and tried to figure out what the hell happened, she had only gone to Mike to suggest they look at the evidence again. Well that was probably your first mistake, an in-progress case, where they had motive and evidence tying the defendant to the crime scene. Yeah Rubirosa, that was a rookie mistake, you should have started with the piece that troubles you, the blood evidence, the defense had poked some holes in their expert witnesses testimony, nothing that Mike couldn't overcome she was sure, but it had raised some questions in her mind. Yes she should have addressed that first. But why had he come down so hard on her though, that was where she was really at a loss. It was almost personal his attack, did she lose objectivity, was she feeling sorry for the defendant? Maybe, she'd spent weeks hearing from his girlfriend, his colleagues, him, that he just couldn't have done it and observing him the way he had acknowledged he was probably costing himself 20 years of his life, it just seemed off. Plus the victims son, there was just something about him that raised her warning bells, maybe because he reminded her of Dennis Teal, the brother who had set in motion the events that caused his sister Wendy Teal to take three lives and eventually her own. Yes, Connie knew there were plenty of defendants out there that that professed their innocence, most did until they signed their plea agreement that saved them years in jail, she thought sourly.

The next immediate problem was the fact that she had a dinner date set up for tonight with Mike, their standing Friday night date. She wasn't going to be good company and surely not with the person who caused her bad mood. She should cancel. That voice in the back of her head reared its ugly head 'You knew it wasn't a good idea to date your boss, this is what you get' It had been going amazingly well until now, they were really connecting. Their trip to the Hampton's had been so stress free. The closeted away dinners and breakfasts together in each other's apartments, they had shared so much. She flashed to last weekend, making taco's in Mike's kitchen, his teasing when she substituted a lettuce leaf for one of the taco shells on her plate. Her heated face when he'd countered her argument of "needing to cut a few calories because she wasn't getting to the gym as much" with a raised eyebrow and sultry "I think we get plenty of exercise."

Mike opening up to her about his childhood and his father, she was sure she knew more about Mike than anyone else in his life, now or ever. There were times they talked until the early morning, she had shared more with him than she'd ever shared with any man, about her hope's, her fears, her desires, everything that made her feel vulnerable, he was always so supportive, so interested in what she had to say, how she felt. This relationship was worth it, those voices in the back of her head be damned. She'd fix this.

She sighed, you knew that conflict would come up at work, its kind of amazing this is the first time. You also know that you have to keep work separate from personal or there won't be any personal, you know that. So how to handle this Consuela. She didn't think sitting around talking tonight would be the best idea, what else to do? Well, how about a movie in an actual theater, they'd be together and would not be allowed to talk, but they'd be together. Movie, hot dog from the concession stand sounds like a plan.

Ok, time to tell Mike, her new plan for the evening.

xxxxxxx

Connie knocked on his door, her jaw set, Mike had been waiting for this moment, he knew she'd be canceling their dinner date and it had put him in a foul mood.

"Come in"

She walked in and sat on the corner of his desk, facing him but also watching the doors, "Look, can we take a rain check on dinner and go to a movie instead?" the perplexed look on his face replacing the annoyed frown.

"A movie?" he asked out of curiosity,

"Yeah we can get a hot dog in the theater."

"What movie did you want to see?"

"Whichever movie starts when we get there, Times Square AMC"

Connie was a creative prosecutor and thought out of the box in applying case law same as he did, it was one of the things he appreciated most about her. Why not apply that creativity to her relationships, not in the mood to talk but still want to spend time together, hmm go where you can't talk, he mused with a smile.

"Sure why not, same time?" he favored her with his sly half smile, she nodded her head and left.

Xxxxxxx

Mike got to the AMC Times Square and saw Connie standing outside, she'd already scoped out movies, Avatar, The Blind Side or Clash of the Titans. It was his turn to choose, so Clash of Titans it was, the movie was ridiculous, but a pleasant enough diversion. Towards the end of the movie, he looked over at her and she coincidentally looked over at him, she favored him with a smile. With that encouragement, he reached over and took her hand into his, and thought it was a good sign she didn't pull it back. He was already pushing his luck anyway, so he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. She tightened her grip on his hand, maybe all was ok he thought. When they rose to leave the theater, there was no hand holding, but she did follow him out,

"Are we taking the cab to your place or did you bring your car?" she asked

So this is a better sign he thought, it wasn't just a movie date, she was coming back to his place as was their usual Friday night custom. They talked about the movie on the cab ride back to his place, he mentioned it was a remake of a 1980's film that while the special effects were cheesier in comparison, the original might have been a better film, and it was in fact in his dvd collection. She surprised him by saying let's watch it when we get to your place, but then he recalled it would help enforce the no talking rule, though they seemed to be doing ok so far. He wondered what the protocol was for once they entered his apartment, their usual habit was to make up for all that physical contact they couldn't have out, guess he'd just follow her lead, that seemed like the best course. They'd only been dating for about two months, but it seemed longer because they had essentially had been each others only one for the last two years, they'd just never acknowledged it. As she walked in the door, she casually turned to him as she usually did and stepped into his arms for an embrace, followed by a simple kiss.

"Shall we watch the cheesy movie?" Mike loaded the DVD and settled into the couch, Connie cuddled up next to him. This was her favorite place to be, in his arms she thought, as she felt his heartbeat in his chest. She may be mad at her boss, but this relationship was important to her, and it was new, she knew that they'd have to work at it, it would be easy to let they job get in the way and derail it. She knew there would always be cases or instance at work where they wouldn't see eye to eye and knew if they let it push them apart each time, it would eventually just be the end of their relationship. She also knew being in his arms made her feel content, being with him made her happy. When the movie was over, they went to bed, he leaned over and kissed her good night, and then he felt her arms tighten around his neck, the goodnight kiss turning into something else. 'We're back on track' thought Mike, as their hands started exploring each other.

Xxxx

The next morning, she woke to the smell of coffee and Mike sitting up in bed reading the newspaper, "Hey"

"Hey, sorry did I wake you?" Mike set his paper down, Mike hadn't slept well, the previous days actions still weighing on his mind and his conscience.

Connie, rubbing her eyes "How long have you been up?"

"About two hours, coffee?"

"Guess you didn't wake me, yes please" and she sat up and accepted the coffee that he'd poured from the carafe on his nightstand, taking that first sip and savoring the life force that was coffee. She noted with a smile he'd also brought cream and sugar for her.

"Are we good, back to talking?" he inquired softly

She took a deep breath, bit her lip for a second while she tried to gather her thoughts about last night and launched "I didn't want to talk to Mike my boss, but I did want to be with Mike my" (and here she stumbled a bit, boyfriend, significant other? They'd never really clarified that), so she just said "date. I can't turn it on and off like you can Mike I'm just not wired that way. This was my compromise because I know there will always be those cases..." She let that linger.

Mike, still feeling guilty about yesterday's conversation, quickly jumped in "Fair enough, plus what matters is you're here now, that's all I care about. That we find a way to make this work, you're very important to me" and he put his arm around her.

Connie "I kind of like this bit of domesticity, coffee in bed," giving him a look. At that look, he took her coffee and set it on the nightstand, and pulled her onto his lap, straddling him, she looked at his lips and leaning down, teased them with her tongue, parting them to explore, her lips meeting his, And at the exact same time both of their stomachs rumbled loudly, causing them to breakoff, look at each other and laugh. "

"Order in?" Mike reached for his phone to pull up a menu.


	10. Chapter 10

**Getting back on the same page**

Mike sat in his office still thinking about, yesterdays conversation, just as he'd done that morning, it really didn't sit well with him, could jealousy really be what drove him to say what he did, 'you know it was, it was jealousy be honest, it couldn't be, could it?' Hmm, he'd never felt that before, maybe because he'd never felt as intensely about anyone as he did for Connie? And what did he do, try to sabotage his relationship. He needed to put things right. But how?

xxxxxxx

Later that afternoon after they'd worked through a number of other cases, including paperwork to put the DiNapoli trial to bed, Mike looked at Connie and said "Ok, lets step through the whole Heath/Lira case, the timeline, everything from the beginning,"

Connie knew this was Mike's olive branch, he didn't have to do this, he had a more than viable case, but because he trusted her instincts, the fact that she was uneasy with this case, they'd look at everything again. She wasn't so full of herself that she thought it was only because she had issues with the case; Mike must as well for him take another look at it now.

Mike "The Heath's were killed at 3 am in their brownstone, no forced entry, but they were known to leave it unlocked. Mr. Heath hears a noise, goes down to the living room is shot first, then Mrs. Heath is shot in bed, killer ransacks their room"

Connie "Half –heartedly, there are several expensive pieces of jewelry that they missed"

Mike "No DNA, no hair, but one bloody handprint, no other blood spread anywhere else"

Connie "#1 fact out of the ordinary for me is that there is just one print, the Heath's were killed fairly meticulously, what did the killer have to do to get blood on his hands,"

Connie "and #2 say he manages to get blood on his hands, how did he manage to only leave one really clear print" continues "No known enemies, a pillar of the community, loving father, owner of Heath &amp; Son's Electronics"

Mike "Which leads us to our accused, Roberto Lira, son of a violent felon, raised into a life of crime, arrested at fourteen during a home invasion robbery, where his father killed the home owner. Spent several years in juvenile detention, but nothing after being released from juvenile detention and having no contact with his father. Hired by Sam Heath shortly after leaving juvvie, worked his way up from stock boy to the assistant store manager for their electronics store, by all accounts is nothing like his father, virtually the adopted son of the Heath's. Hard working, seems to be loved by all employees, revitalized the store by changing its focus to mobile phones and electronics, turning it into a highly profitable business." "Heard arguing with the victim by the victim's son"

Connie interjected "no corroboration of the argument"

Mike, winced a little "True" "As to motive, he was recently made a beneficiary in Sam Heath's will, giving him 20% of the shares of Heath Electronics"

Their floor had been empty, but they heard the ping of the elevator, they looked at each other, even though they weren't doing anything inappropriate. Soon Jack walked through, "Good to see my prosecutors working hard" looking at the board "why are you going over the Heath case, shouldn't that be an open and shut case? You have motive and a bloody handprint, what more do you need, this case could be handled by a junior prosecutor, hell it should have been pleaded out. Now we have the defense crying OJ about cops planting evidence, the DA's office and 1PP don't need this kind of headache Mike"

Mike "Well Mr. Lira won't allocute to the murders, so we can't take a plea and Connie has some questions about our evidence and for that matter so do I and as far as a junior prosecutor, well you've got us"

Jack "Close this case Mike" as he stormed out and closed the door behind him.

Connie "Regarding that motive, other than Sam Jr. saying so, no corroboration of Lira knowing that the will had been changed and Lira being made a beneficiary" "We have the company's CFO saying he actively turned down raises and bonuses, including virtually tearing up checks made to himself and insisting they be distributed to other lower level employees."

Mike "Lira has no alibi for the time of the murder, as he was in his apartment alone at the time, people can change their mind about money"

Connie "We also don't have him at the scene of the crime, no use of his metro card, no video footage of him at the station, no cab rides away from the Heath's. We don't have the murder weapon and we also can't tie him to any gun. He would have the history with unsavory types from his father, but no apparent contact with them in the last 10 years"

Mike turning back to Connie "It all rests on that bloody handprint"

Jack popped back in "Good night, close the case" and walked out. They heard his foot steps, the ping of the elevators and they were alone again.

Mike, "They scored some pretty good points on the bloody handprint and CSU on Friday" "Not that I think this, but we checked and there's no connection between anyone on our case and Lira's father?"

"None, that I've seen" Connie, shifted through her files and pulled out a copy of the report. "hmm let's look at that handprint. I mean, we know Lupo or Bernard or really anyone on scene wouldn't have planted that handprint, but there was something odd about it, it wasn't matched using the standard department software, it had to be sent out to the Fed's for further analysis and was matched to Roberto Lira's."

Mike walked around and looked over her shoulder "Prints had non-standard smudges, inconsistent ridge lines, non-conclusive" Feeling how close he was, Connie looked up over her shoulder at him, he grinned down at her. They made a practice of not being inappropriate in the office, even if they were the only ones in the office, and they where pretty good at adhering to that rule. He gave her a quick kiss on the nose and stood up. "Talk to the labs and find out why this was so different." Connie ignored his little indiscretion, merely raising an eyebrow at him.

Connie, excited now that they were on the same page, she was sure they'd find out one way or another the truth on this case, "Ok"

Suddenly Mike looked very serious "Connie, I have to apologize for what I said to you yesterday, I was out of line calling into question your reason for doubting this case, truth be told, one of the reasons I couldn't sleep this morning I was going over it in my head, " he paused and looked down "and I came to the conclusion that I was a little jealous of you and Lira, that you had made some kind of connection with Lira." Connie opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand signaling to let him finish. "It was irrational, and not based on anything at all, just the fact that you spoke Spanish to him and you were questioning this case, my case" "It was stupid, unprofessional and I apologize"

Connie's mouth had stayed open the whole time he spoke. When she could finally produce words, the first thing out of her mouth was "Maybe I should have been mad at Mike my date not just Mike my boss yesterday" She was dumbfounded and annoyed but oddly touched that he admitted to jealousy.

"Maybe you should have" sighed Mike quietly

"This isn't going to be a habit if I disagree with you on a case that you think I have romantic feelings for the defendant is it?"

Mike "I didn't say romantic feelings, just a connection against my case, against me. I promise it won't happen again, I don't know what got into me, I'm sorry. "

Connie, looking at how miserable he looked, took pity on him "Ok, no real harm done, but lets not make that a habit. Apology accepted" someday they'd have to discuss this in depth, but she felt today was not the time to do that.

Mike "Dinner at Pinnacle? It's on me"

Connie "Sure" for some reason, she felt they were going into unchartered territory.


	11. Chapter 11

**Connie and Mike figure it all out**

**May 17 In NYPD's CSU lab**

Connie "Your initial review of the handprint was inconclusive, can you explain what problems you had with the sample. "

Tech- "the smears were nonsandard, it made the match inaccurate within our parameters."

Connie "When you say nonstandard, what do you mean?"

Tech – "Well," and she could tell he was somewhat uncomfortable, "the placement didn't seem entirely natural"

"Entirely natural?"

"Yes like the hand was at an unnatural angle when it left the print"

"Like it was planted somehow? "

"Well I wouldn't say that"

"Off the record?"

"It wasn't natural, planted maybe, I don't know, but something was off about it"

"So you kicked it to the feds so you didn't have to match it?"

Tech looking more uncomfortable "Well"

"Thanks, you've been very helpful" Connie was sure now that she was right about this case. She called the FBI lab on her way to the office.

Connie had an idea on the way back from the lab, she did a little research on her computer, bingo, she called Teresa, Robert's girlfriend to come to office to answer a few questions.

xxxxxxx

Connie observed Robert's girlfriend, she seemed to be pretty straightforward, a working class kid, had her ups &amp; downs &amp; had come out the other side. She had said Robert was loyal, Teresa seemed to be loyal as well. "Thanks for coming into the office Ms Quizoda, we just need to clarify some things "

Teresa, still trying to convince them of Robert's innocence "You have to listen to me. Robert is a stand up guy, but he still has scars from his childhood, not just the physical one's, but in his heart &amp; his head. (Mike enters room) He doesn't think he should be a husband or become a father because he had such a terrible father, thinks he didn't have a good role model, so he's afraid he'd be like his bastard father, (Connie looks up, Mike is staring intently at Teresa, Mike turns suddenly and looks straight at Connie, but looks away quickly, slightly embarrassed) I told him there's no way he'd be like that, he's a good man. "

Jack's assistant came over asking for Mike, Jack needed to see him, he looked at Connie, and she nodded ok, she could take care of this. Connie continues talking to Teresa…

xxxxxx

Mike, munching on nuts at the table in his office with Connie next to him "Ok, what's your theory?"

Connie "We know the print did match to Lira's, that isn't in dispute, in order to leave that handprint, you'd need Lira's hand." On Mike's look "Hear me out, leap of faith Mike," he leaned forward, "so there's only a few ways it could get there if Lira wasn't there, the police or on scene team planted it or the killer planted it, right? So who has the most to gain, Sam Jr. or Mary. Mary has a very wealthy husband as she mentioned, seven figure income, multiple houses, she does pretty well for herself as well with her book sales, wasn't in the will before other than a token, removed at her request, she is still the executor of the will. A look into Sam Jr's finances, nothing spectacular, has money in the bank, had a mortgage, but paid it off with a gift from his father,"

Mike "nice if you can get it"

Connie "yeah, but there are regular cash withdrawals, every Tuesday, a look at his metro card and he goes to Chinatown every Tuesday, with additional withdrawls some Tuesday evenings."

Mike "Sounds like Sam Jr. might be visiting establishments of illegal gambling, bad boy."

Connie "There was an extra cash withdrawal on the Friday, before the murder, enough to buy a gun"

Mike "Circumstantial, speculation…"

Connie pressed on "So I looked into Sam Jr.'s wife Nicole, she is a special effects make-up artist for movies and TV, looking at her IMDB page, she seems to specialize in horror movies and prosthetics. There's a link to her MyFace page and on her MyFace page there's a link to her personal art page." Pulls up the webpage "Where she sells replica casts of animals, insects and- body parts" Clicks on a picture of a very realistic chopped off foot"

Mike sat up straight, looks from the website to Connie "Any hands?"

Connie "Not exactly but it wouldn't seem that much harder to cast now would it."

Mike "No, it would not.

Connie "And as far as the not exactly, I had the techs go back through cache'd history and there were photos of hands on the site but they were removed the week before the murder"

Mike "more interesting"

Connie now smiling broadly "Have you ever had a manicure Mike?"

Mike eyebrows raised "Is this a trick question"

Connie "Well if you get the full works manicure," she looks at her nails, "I indulge on occasion, they dip your hands in wax and let it dry and then peel off the wax, sometimes in one mass peel, want to guess what Nicole did before becoming a special effects make-up artist?

Mike "Hmm, I wonder-a manicurist"

Connie "Ding ding. And according to Teresa, about five years ago Nicole was getting her manicurists license and needed some practice clients, female and male, so she gave Teresa and Robert a manicure. Nicole was very methodical according to Teresa"

Mike "Could she really have made a cast of a hand from that leftover wax?"

Connie "If she took a good enough impression, she'd just have to fill the left over wax impression to make a cast of the hand. It would explain the issues with the ridges not being good enough for the first fingerprint match and the unnatural angle" She demonstrated how your hands usually look when you put your hand in the wax, "Also on her IMDB page is her current job working on a TV show, "Law Enforcement", a procedural TV show about cops and DA's, I browsed through the description of episodes, there was an episode where the cops made an impression of a victims hands"

Mike tapping his hand against his mouth "We need that hand, this isn't enough to convict. Or we need the gun or something else to put them at the scene of the crime, this is all circumstantial"

Connie quietly "I know"

Mike "Cell phones, metro cards"

Connie shook her head "Both cellphones were at Sam Heath Jrs place of residence at the time of the murder, they pinged off the cell tower, plus we have downloads made at 2:45 am and time logged into Myface, posting items. No usage of any metro cards purchased on credit by the Heaths"

Mike "They both were using their cell phones at 3am huh."

Connie "yeah, like someone needed to solidify an alibi, rookies-each other would have sufficed"

Mike "Speaking of alibi's" and Connie's eye's lit up seeing where he was going" how did they know Robert was going to be home alone? If he's staying at his girlfriends, there's an alibi witness, blows the scheme out of the water.

Connie excitedly "They knew he had an early shift the next morning and probably knew he usually went home, but how could they be sure unless they were watching him. His apartment faces the street, you could see right in it. "

Mike "They'd have to coordinate. Get a subpoena for any burner cell phones called."

Connie smiling broadly, started typing up the request.

Xxxxxx

_**DA's Conference Room**_

Robert Lira and his attorney enter the DA conference room,

Robert angrily – "I don't get why I'm here, I'm not going to say I killed Sam or Margie"

Mr. Garcia "Let's hear what they have to say Robert"

Mike "We just want to clarify some things Mr. Lira"

Connie walks in with Sam Heath Jr and his wife Nicole.

Sam Heath, aggravated "What's he doing here, "He killed my parents, I don't want to be in the same room with him"

Mike "We just need to clarify some things with you Mr. and Mrs Heath, for our case" and Mike looked at Connie, it was her show.

Connie directed her laser focused gaze "Nicole, we understand that you used to be a manicurist before your current job as a special effects make-up artist, is that right"

Nicole, squirms a little at the mention of manicurist, "Yes, yes that's right"

Connie " We have an affidavit from Teresa Quizada that you needed clients before getting your license, so you gave Ms Quizada a manicure, the works, Mr. Lira, did you also receive a manicure at the same time"

Robert looking puzzled "yeah, it was free and Nicole needed men and women, so what"

Connie "As part of that manicure, did Ms. Heath apply wax to your hands, in fact encasing them in wax, one or more times"

Robert, starting to get agitated, "Yes, twice in fact, she said I had really nice hands, but they were really dry so she had to do it twice and with a different wax machine where I stuck my hand in and left it there for a couple of minutes" Nicole is visibly agitated at this point.

Sam, very excited, "We don't have to stay here and be treated like this" Stands up to leave.

Mike coldly "Sit down Mr. Heath." getting a little more heated, voice raising "Maybe Mr Heath you were a little mad at your father for accepting Mr Lira here as a surrogate family member, as an almost adopted son, did that make you jealous, did it make you angry"

Sam, wildly agitated "You don't have anything, this is just speculation"

Connie cold but controlled "We have a call from Ms Heath's cell phone to a burner cell at 12am the morning of the murder, pinging off a tower by Mr. Lira's apartment. We have that same burner cell phone pinging off the tower by your father's house at 3:15 am calling Ms. Heath's cellphone, that would be right after the murder. You had a wax cast of Mr. Lira's hand and you brought it to the scene of the crime and pressed it into your father's blood and then pressed that onto the door. "

Robert interrupting "what did you do!"

Connie continuing, on a roll "Det Lupo is executing a search warrant at your apartment and workshop to see if we find the wax cast, but really that's just gravy, we already have enough to make a jury see what a cold blooded pair you are"

Mike "Almost the perfect murder, almost"

Bernard and some uniforms walk in and arrest Mr. and Mrs. Heath Jr. "You are under arrest for the murders of Sam Heath and Margarite Heath, anything you say …."

Connie kindly, turning to Robert "We're very sorry for your ordeal Mr. Lira, we will process the paperwork to release you immediately"

Robert crying "It's all my fault, if Sam hadn't changed his will, if I wasn't around, they never would have done this, they wouldn't have had anyone to pin it on, its my fault"

Mike "Mr. Lira, to plan something so cold-blooded, I think they would have done it eventually, with or without you."

Xxxxxx

In Jack's office, Mike "Turns out it was a planted bloody handprint, just not planted by the good guys, Sam Heath Jr. took thirty to life, Nicole his wife took fifteen for conspiracy,"

Jack "Almost the perfect murder, so those two will allocute to the murder, yes?"

Mike nodding "Good thing you didn't have the junior prosecutors working this one"

Jack looks at Mike over his glasses, "Good work you two"

Mike "It was all Connie"

Connie blushes "Not all me"

They walk out of his office.

Xxxxxx

Connie "Their plan was almost perfect, they had Robert Lira's hand modeled from a wax cast your sister-in-law had made years ago when she had given him a free manicure. I guess she had kept it because it had come out so perfectly. They used this to leave the handprint at the scene. It was almost the perfect crime. Sam Jr admitted it was because he was angered that your father had given a piece of his inheritance to Robert and to being jealous of how close your father was to Robert "

Mike "Your brother has accepted thirty years to life, your sister-in-law 15 years for conspiracy to commit murder."

Mary verging on crying "My brother was always restless, always concerned about getting things his way, always jealous of what everyone else had. My parents were very generous, they gave us everything we ever needed, they told him not to worry about everyone else. My parents were kind they didn't deserve this.

Connie kindly shaking her head, "No they didn't. What will you do with the stores now?"

Mary "I've asked Robert to take over, he's still heartbroken, said he doesn't want anything to do with the stores, he blames himself for my parents deaths, if my dad hadn't changed the will they'd still be alive. You know he married Teresa as soon as he got out of jail, he realized he shouldn't let her get away. I asked him to consider how my dad would have wanted him to continue his legacy, his stores. He's considering it for my Dad. You know, I've lost my parents, my brother and Robert too, I considered him if not a surrogate brother, a friend, but after accusing him of being a murderer, it's hard to go back"

Connie "With time maybe… " letting that linger

Mary "I study nature vs. nurture, my brother grew up with the same wonderful parents that I did, in a loving, accepting home and he becomes a cold blooded murderer. Robert grew up with a cold, cruel, vicious, killer for a parent, under the worst of childhood situations, two strikes against him and yet he's a model citizen, a kind and gentle hearted soul. Nature vs nurture indeed."

Mike solemnly "Indeed"

The Law and order ending, dun dun

Xxxxxx

_**A little extra Mike &amp; Connie ending **_

Across the table, Mike gazed at Connie, raised his glass, "Well Connie, Mr. Lira can thank you for seeing through the perfect murder and exonerating him, cheers."

Connie smiling back and clinking his glass, "Well he can thank us both, you didn't have to reexamine everything, you had a pretty solid case."

"He can thank us both for being very good at our jobs." He smiled at her, "How about coming back to my place tonight?"

Connie frowned, "No, it's a workday tomorrow and I don't have any of my stuff with me."

Mike considering for a moment, he looked into her eyes "We could circle back by your place and you could pick up what you need. Maybe pick up some extra stuff, you know, that you could leave at my place, whatever you'd need" Connie raised an eyebrow at him as he continued "That is, if you want to"

Connie grinning, "I'd like that." Definitely into uncharted territory now she thought happily.


End file.
